Make Your Breakfast Habit Healthy

It has been said many times, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and, in general, research shows that eating breakfast is a healthy habit to have.

Health messages around breakfast are generally positive:

• Start the day with a filling and nutritious meal and you will give your metabolism a kick start
• You'll feel full until lunch time with less temptation to snack your way through the morning.
• Eating breakfast can make you more alert to face the day

But what about eating breakfast when you want to lose weight?

The evidence is not realy clear in this regard, with recent research suggesting that breakfast may not be a good strategy for weight loss, especially if it's not already part of your normal routine.

For those who do eat breakfast regularly, here's how to make sure it's healthy.

Breakfast Cereals

Go for a low-calorie muesli (no added sugar or salt) or a high fibre cereal - such as Weetabix or Shredded Wheat  with semi skimmed or skimmed milk.  Add some fresh fruit - a sliced banana or dried apricots - to add natural sweetness and help you resist the sugar. (They also count towards your daily fruit and vegetable quota). Check out our Tried and Tasted Breakfast Cereals.

Fresh Fruit Salad 

Fresh fruit salad will provide a slow release of energy to get you through until lunchtime and also give you a healthy top up of vitamins and minerals. This healthy choice will motivate you to make healthy choices throughout the day. Peel and slice a few of your favourite fruits, top with a dollop of natural bio-yoghurt and enjoy with a slice of bread and honey. Alternatively, if you've got a blender, pop the peeled and cored fruit in with the yoghurt and teaspoon of honey and make a delicious fresh smoothie.

Egg and Soldiers

Egg and soldiers isn't all bad. Eggs are an excellent and compact source of nutrients, are relatively low in calories (75kcals each if boiled / poached) and contain very little saturated fat. Use wholemeal bread for the "soldiers" and resist the butter / spread - try marmite instead! Accompany with a glass of fruit or vegetable juice.

Traditional English

You don't have to miss out on your traditional Sunday breakfast. There's nothing wrong with a cooked breakfast as long as it's a "grill up", not a "fry up" - fried foods hold the fat! Lean bacon is a good source of protein, trim the fat and grill. Eggs contain iron and calcium - to get the benefits poach or boil. Add some low-sugar, low-salt baked beans and a grilled tomato. Accompany with some toasted wholemeal bread and a glass of unsweetened fruit juice. Let your breakfast digest and then enjoy a Sunday morning walk (depending on your weight you'll burn between 90-190kcals walking moderately for 30 minutes).

Fry Up -  427kcals/serving	Lower Calorie Traditional English - 240kcals/serving
1 Rasher (25g) Bacon  Back, Lean & Fat Fried	1 Rasher (25g) Bacon  Back, Fat Trimmed, Grilled
1 Small Can (200g) Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce	½ Small Can (100g) Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce, Low Sugar & Salt, Heinz
1 Medium (85g) Tomato, Fried in Blended Oil	1 Medium (85g) Tomato,  Grilled
1 Medium Egg, Fried	1 Medium Egg, Poached