Preparing a Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important part of the day, or so says moms everywhere and numerous scientific journals. Why? Because breakfast moves your body out of the fasting state it was in overnight and kick starts your metabolism for the rest of the day. While it might be tempting to skip breakfast because you’re strapped for time, it’s incredibly important to make it a priority to fit this meal into your morning routine.

But before your rush toward convenience foods like sugary cereals, consider this: what you eat plays a role in not just how much you weight, but also your oral health. If you eat a breakfast of sugary cereals and other refined carbohydrates, you’ll be much more prone to decay. This is particularly true for children, who then have to rush off to school and don’t get a chance to brush their teeth again until evening.

A healthy diet isn’t hard to adhere to if you follow a few guidelines.

Make meal prep a goal | You’ve probably seen tips for meal prep all over social media. And while it might seem time-consuming, preparing your basics ahead of time will save you plenty of time. Cook sausage and potatoes in bulk and store them in the fridge for morning breakfast burritos that simply need to be put together and heat up. Make a batch of oatmeal to last the week. The options are endless and the time saved is well worth the initial time put into meal prep.

We see most people experiencing success when they meal prep on Sunday evenings to start their week off.

Maintain balance | Just like you can have too many carbs, there’s such a thing as overloading on fats. Focus on balancing your meal by including a lean protein, like turkey bacon or eggs, as well as a complex carbohydrate and healthy fat like olive oil or coconut oil (both perfect to fry eggs in).
Don’t fall victim to hidden sugars | Sugar is in nearly everything you probably find delicious. Jams and jellies, cereals, even those marketed as healthy (including prepackaged oatmeal). Read your labels and make sure you’re avoiding added sugars.
Don’t just brush before eating | After you enjoy your breakfast brush your teeth so that you’re off to a great start for the remainder of the day. If you don’t have time to brush at least rinse so that any food particles are removed from your teeth and bacteria isn’t given a chance to feed off of them.
Grab water before coffee | There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a cup of coffee, but before you reach for that cup make sure you drink a full glass of water to kick-start your metabolism and help you feel full and avoid overeating at breakfast.
Engage your children during breakfast | While your child might be asking for sugary treats at breakfast, if you make it a point to engage them and take an interest in them, you can help to distract them from the sugary treats and eventually have them looking forward to just having breakfast with mom and dad.