Rise and Shine! How to Eat a Balanced Breakfast
Chances are, you’ve been told that a balanced breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but you may not understand why. Just as the name implies, breakfast is meant to break your overnight fast. When you first wake up, your blood sugar is low. Eating again replenishes it, ensuring that your muscles and brain can do their best work by giving you energy and focus.
Your morning meal also kick-starts your metabolism and helps you burn calories throughout the day. It may even play a major role in your quest for good health and weight management. Studies have linked eating breakfast to better memory, improved concentration, and lower levels of LDL (“bad” cholesterol) as well as a decreased risk of being diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Common Nutrition Mistakes at Your Morning Meal
In a recent TikTok video, nutritionist Elaina Efird, RDN, CD, CEDRD, CSSD discusses common nutrition mistakes at breakfast. She shares that her clients often eat one of the following morning meals: yogurt with granola and fruit or oatmeal (made with water or milk), nuts, and fruit — neither of which has enough calories or protein.
Specifically, protein helps you feel full and build or maintain muscles. As Elaina explains, “When you’re not getting enough protein, especially in the earlier part of the day, you’re more likely to have stronger afternoon cravings for carbohydrates and sweets and to overeat in the evening.”
One way to make these breakfast options more substantial is to simply combine them and make overnight oats. Add oats, milk (cow or almond), yogurt, fruit, and protein powder to a mason jar, seal the lid, shake it up, and pop it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, sprinkle some granola and berries on top. Now, you have a much more calorically-dense, protein-filled meal to start your day — one that will sustain you until your morning snack or lunch.
Other Tips For a Balanced Breakfast
As Elaina touches on, a well-rounded meal allows for a slow release of energy, helping you to avoid that afternoon crash. In addition to protein, a balanced breakfast should also include fat and fiber. Fat slows down digestion and makes you feel satisfied, helping you keep your hunger (ghrelin) and fullness (leptin) hormones in check. Fiber keeps you full without elevating your blood sugar, feeds healthy probiotic gut bacteria, and removes toxins from your digestive system. Alternatively, it’s important to note that a breakfast high in carbohydrates can cause a spike in your blood sugar, which leads to those cravings and that feeling of fatigue.
If overnight oats aren’t your thing, some other ideas for a balanced breakfast include:
Two scrambled eggs with turkey sausage and a piece of avocado toast
A smoothie with protein powder, frozen strawberries, spinach, and almond butter
A vegetable omelet with avocado on top and a side of bacon
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