Healthy breakfast
Healthy breakfast: What’s involved?
Whether it’s a hearty breakfast at the kitchen table or a quick meal to go – similar recommendations apply to morning nutrition as to other main meals. The food should be both tasty and balanced: A wholesome morning meal ideally contains all the important nutrients that optimally supply your body and keep you fit.
Which foods make up a healthy breakfast depends on personal taste and your preferences. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) advises including the following products in your diet:
- Cereal products such as bread, porridge made from oatmeal or a muesli provide complex carbohydrates as well as minerals and fiber. Choose the whole-grain variety as often as possible, as whole grains are more nutritious and satiate you longer.
- Vegetables and fruits contain many nutrients, phytochemicals and low calories. Three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit a day are ideal. With cucumber slices on your bread, blueberries in natural yogurt or a colorful salad, you can already start to reach these amounts at breakfast.
- Milk and dairy products, such as herb curd cheese or cheese as a spread, complete the versatile food selection. These foods provide your body with proteins, vitamin B2 and calcium.
- Liquid in the form of water and other calorie-free drinks serve as thirst quenchers in the morning and have a beneficial effect on digestion.
Tip: Ready-made muesli and cornflakes as well as fruit juices often contain a lot of sugar. Therefore, pay attention to the list of ingredients or simply mix your own breakfast cereals. If you eat a fresh apple for breakfast instead of apple juice, you also absorb more fiber.
Myth: the most important meal of the day
Breakfast is often referred to as the “most important meal of the day”. From a nutritional point of view, it seems to make sense to replenish empty carbohydrate stores in the morning. A good breakfast can also help to counteract cravings in the morning. Nevertheless, the morning meal is not a must for normal physical activity: Whether an extensive breakfast is part of your morning ritual or you just drink a coffee and eat something later is therefore not so crucial. Although many diet guides make it seem that way: If you eat a lavish breakfast in the morning, it will not have a significant impact on your feeling of satiety at the rest of your meals. An energetic breakfast is therefore not the only tip for losing weight. Rather, it depends on the total amount of calories in all the foods you eat during the day. Ultimately, it also depends on your type whether you feel hungry as soon as you get up or whether you really get going in the morning before you eat anything.
Healthy breakfast: recipes for quick meals
In the morning you often lack the time for an extended breakfast? The morning meal can also be quick: With the right recipe ideas, you can prepare your healthy breakfast quickly and eat a varied diet. Many dishes can be conjured up in no time at all on the breakfast table. Try out our tasty recipes and also heed these practical tips for enjoyable breakfast classics made from healthy ingredients:
- A wholesome breakfast of oatmeal in milk or water is quick to make. You can heat your porridge either on the stove or even in the microwave within minutes. Ground whole oats dissolve immediately in liquid. You can mix the kernel flakes the day before to save time in the morning. Sweetness from fruits is more suitable for a healthy breakfast than honey or agave syrup.
- A green smoothie made from avocado, spinach, bananas, orange and coconut water can be prepared in no time with a juicer.
- A nutritious omelet also takes just a few minutes. Finish the egg dish with cheese, tomatoes and garden herbs to taste. Portion out the ingredients the night before so that the next morning you can simply add everything directly to the hot pan.
Healthy breakfast for kids: ideas and tips
Learning, homework, playing and growing up – all this takes a lot of energy. For both daycare and school children, it is therefore advisable to have a bite to eat in the morning. With a balanced breakfast in the belly, they leave the house in a good mood and optimally fortified in the morning. There are plenty of delicious ideas and menu suggestions for a child-friendly breakfast with sufficient nutrients:
- Rice pudding with cinnamon apple compote without added sugar
- Multigrain toast with cream cheese, cheese or a homemade spread
- Pancakes with blueberries or apple slices
- Crunchy muesli made of crunchy cereal flakes, dried fruit, nuts and coconut flakes
- Curd dip with sliced carrots, celery and cucumber
Tip: Make a list of favorite healthy foods. Your children can always choose something suitable for breakfast from this list. For families, meal planning is also easier with a weekly meal plan.
Healthy breakfast to go: Breakfast to go
You don’t have an appetite for big meals in the morning or time is short? Then breakfast to go is a good solution: Because the morning meal can also taste delicious at work or on the go. Many recipes can be prepared the night before. So you don’t have to spend a lot of time preparing in the morning, but you still have a healthy breakfast. If you’re on the go in the morning, give yourself a break for your meals anyway. Eating healthy also means taking your breakfast mindfully and chewing thoroughly. These simple eating habits can have a big effect: Because if you eat slowly and consciously, you are more likely to listen to your feeling of satiety – this sensation only occurs after around 15 to 20 minutes after the start of the meal.
Take these dishes with you as a healthy breakfast for work or university, for example:
- Wraps with vegetables, cheese or lean chicken and salad.
- Chia pudding in a jar with fruit
- Hearty muffins with spinach, feta and other healthy foods
- Quinoa salad with fresh or roasted vegetables
