Benefits of Breakfast
The foods you choose to “break your fast” in the morning are one of the most important decisions that set the tone for how you’ll feel all day. But finding a fast and healthy breakfast for busy mornings can be a big challenge. Considering that most adults and children aren’t getting enough important nutrients like protein and fiber, a healthy breakfast is one of the best ways you can change your life for the better.
The best healthy breakfasts for busy mornings have a good serving of protein and fiber. Both protein and fiber take a little longer to digest, so you’ll feel satisfied and able to focus through your morning.
Increase Metabolism
Studies also support that eating breakfast can help you lose weight. One study found that even adolescents who ate a protein at breakfast (between 13 and 30 grams) prevented body fat gain when compared to participants who skipped breakfast (1).
Fuel Focus + Attention in the Office and at School
Eating breakfast supports cognitive function, focus, and attention. Kids and adults with ADHD or who have trouble paying attention should prioritize a balanced breakfast with plenty of protein, fiber, and healthy fats–like eggs with sauteed veggies, or Greek yogurt and berries.
The messengers in the brain that carry signals from one neuron to another–called neurotransmitters–depend on amino acids from proteins to do their job. Healthy breakfasts also help to keep blood sugar stable, blunting any abrupt spikes that lead to crashes in brain energy.
Related: 10 Strategies to Address ADHD without Medication
The Best Foods for a Healthy Breakfast
The best breakfast foods for busy mornings start with protein and add a serving of fruits or veggies to provide a little added fiber. It’s also a great idea to include healthy fat, like egg yolks or nut butter to really satisfy your appetite. The recipes below feature the best breakfast foods, like:
- Eggs, yolk included!
- Nuts and seeds
- Greek yogurt
- Cheese
- Smoked salmon
- Black beans
- Cottage cheese
- Nut butter
- Protein powder
Read more: Back-to-School | Better Brain Health with Functional Medicine
6 Healthy Breakfast Ideas You’ll Love
Make Ahead Protein Muesli
Move over, boring oatmeal! Muesli is a super-healthy breakfast that’s popular in Switzerland and Germany, and it’s full of soluble fiber, iron, zinc, and B vitamins, and is a great gluten-free breakfast. It’s usually made with a base of rolled oats, plus your choice of nuts and seeds, extras like coconut or dried fruits.
Muesli is raw, can be eaten hot or cold, and doesn’t contain any extra sweetener. It’s usually served with yogurt, cream, or milk, adding a healthy serving of both protein and fat.
To make a busy morning go even smoother, prep this muesli the night before by adding your milk or yogurt to some muesli mix and stashing it in the fridge.
Ingredients to make a healthy muesli mix:
- 1 ½ to 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (raw or roasted/salted)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, sliced almonds, or pecan pieces
- 1/4 cup raisins, or dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds, hemp hearts, or sunflower seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
To prepare, you’ll need:
1/2 cup of muesli mix
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Optional: drizzle of maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit sweetener
To serve, combine 1/2 cup of the muesli mix with milk and yogurt. Once combined, cover and place in the fridge for 3 hours or up to overnight. Alternatively, you can add warm milk or microwave your muesli and enjoy it hot!
Improve cognition with integrative medicine: Diet + Lifestyle Changes for a Better Brain.
Bento Box Breakfast
When time is short, you have picky eaters, but still need to get a healthy breakfast in everyone’s belly–these bento box breakfasts are a game-changer. Like ultra-healthy lunchables, these are your grab-and-go breakfast shortcuts.
Add a protein: hard-boiled eggs, cheese cubes, sliced meat, chickpeas, gluten-free toaster waffles
Add a fruit or vegetable: blueberries, raspberries, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sliced peaches, apple, pear
Add healthy fats: almonds, cottage cheese, nut butter, avocado
Add your ingredients to a bento box or tray with individual compartments. Enjoy an easy breakfast your kids can eat at home, or at school.
Cashew Butter + Banana Protein Smoothie (Vegan)
Smoothies are a great grab-and-go breakfast for busy school (or work) mornings. And making a smoothie with creamy cashew butter is the absolute best way to satisfy your appetite, power a busy brain, and do it all while enjoying the smoothest treat you can imagine.
Cashews are a good source of magnesium, which plays a role in protein synthesis and neurotransmitter production–helping you stay focused and attentive all the way through lunch (2).
For this smoothie you’ll need:
- 1 frozen medium banana
- ¼ cup raw cashew butter
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- Optional: Toppings like additional cinnamon, chia seeds, bee pollen, or crushed cashews
To make:
Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.
Enhance magnesium absorption for better health>>>
Smoked Salmon Toast with Scrambled Egg
Open-faced sandwiches, like this protein-packed salmon and egg toast, are a great way to add a healthy breakfast to your busy morning. Smoked salmon provides healthy omega-
3 fats which are especially important for brain function and to help decrease inflammation. Egg yolks provide brain-boosting choline and B vitamins, as well as another boost of protein.
Round out any good breakfast toast with creamy avocado for extra magnesium and B6 to help you cope with any extra stress you might encounter that day. This recipe is great for balancing blood sugar and providing energy.
Ingredients: Makes 4 servings
- 2 tablespoons chives, minced
- 1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and coarsely mashed
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
- 4 pieces sourdough, or gluten-free toast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 oz. thinly sliced smoked salmon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Whisk eggs and chives in a large bowl. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook, occasionally scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula until just barely set, about 4 minutes. Set aside. Then, place slices of toast on a large serving plate. Put the avocado into a bowl, mash with a fork, and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Spread mashed avocado over each slice of toast. Spoon eggs over avocado. Arrange smoked salmon slices over eggs, and enjoy immediately!
Fighting fatigue? Learn why B vitamins might be your missing micronutrient.
Peaches and Cream Chia Pudding
Sweet summer peaches are here to satisfy your morning sweet tooth, but paired with plenty of protein and healthy fats, this comfort food parfait won’t send you into a blood sugar crash halfway through the morning!
Make this healthy pudding the night before to give the chia seeds plenty of time to soak up moisture, and to make your busy morning breakfast even easier.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1 fresh peach, diced, skin on
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
Optional: crushed macadamia nuts
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mason jar. Mix until combined, cover jar with lid, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for a quick grab-and-go breakfast the next morning.
Black Bean and Quinoa Freezer Burritos
Love a savory breakfast but don’t have time to make a full meal in the morning? These meal prep breakfast burritos are perfect for the whole family and can be customized with tons of ingredients you’ll love. They’re full of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals to provide steady energy and keep you focused.
Black beans are a good source of folate, fiber, plant-based iron, plus a little magnesium and potassium. But it’s the protein-plus-fiber combination that makes them a great choice for a savory healthy breakfast
(Plus, these burritos can double as a quick lunch option if you’re in a pinch!)
Ingredients: Makes 6 burritos
- 6 large gluten-free tortillas or wraps
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (can also use avocado oil)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped (if desired)
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 cup corn (fresh, frozen, or canned)
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 3 cups black beans, drained and rinsed (about 2, 14 oz cans)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- Optional: 1 cup shredded cheese
Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and red pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and jalapeños (if using) and sauté for another 2 minutes. Then, add the zucchini and sauté for 5-8 minutes. The vegetables should be softened but not mushy.
Finally, add the remainder of ingredients and spices to the skillet (except for cilantro and shredded cheese). Stir to combine and make sure ingredients are heated through.
Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in the chopped cilantro, and remove from the heat.
Filling the burritos: Divide the burrito filling between the six tortillas, sprinkle with cheese if desired, and roll snugly. If freezing the burritos, wrap them individually in parchment paper and place them in a single layer in a reusable silicone freezer bag.
To enjoy your freezer burrito, you can pull one out of the freezer the night before, or just grab one straight from the freezer in the morning and allow it to thaw, or microwave.
Healthy Breakfasts for Your Whole Family
Eating a healthy breakfast allows you to power your metabolism, plus stay focused and attentive throughout your day. Breakfast supports a stable mood, better memory, and steady energy for you and your family.
But it’s no small feat to prepare nutritious, appetizing meals. This is especially true if you have a food sensitivity, allergy, or other dietary restrictions to follow. Let our qualified integrative team of nutrition counselors, dietitians, and physicians help you discover which foods support your unique chemistry and help you reach your wellness goals. There’s never a bad time to start eating healthier, and we can help you find the perfect path to integrative wellness.
Get started with the tools to find the perfect diet for you, and test for unique food sensitivities by contacting us.
Resources
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26239831/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2472534
