If you haven’t heard it already, let’s take this opportunity to state it once again: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. With our hectic lifestyles, we’re constantly on the move, sipping coffee before heading to work, and instead miss sitting down and eating a wholesome meal. Due to skipping our breakfasts, we tend not to lose weight and in turn overeat our lunches. “Whether you are working in an office or are a homemaker, women must consider kick-starting their metabolic rate by incorporating proteins in their breakfast,” says Dr Siddhant Bhargava, Fitness and Nutritional Scientist.
If you want to start January and the new decade on the right note, this is what you need to do.
1. Start your prep at night
We get it, mornings are crazy – dressing up, packing lunch, and making sure you reach work on time. But to get ahead, start your breakfast prep at night itself. You can chop up and freeze your fruits and veggies for a smoothie, prepare overnight oats or make breakfast muffins on the weekend so you can grab and go.
2. Incorporate a protein-heavy breakfast
“The human body has a tendency to burn more calories with the intake of proteins rather than carbs, hence eating a protein-rich breakfast will help you up your metabolism,” says Dr Siddhant. “Moreover, protein intake will keep you satiated and full for long intervals, thus you will end up eating far fewer calories for the rest of the day.” The best way to add protein to your breakfast is by topping your morning toast with a scrambled egg, sautéed mushrooms, and if you eat meat, a slice of ham. He recommends incorporating low-fat dairy options too.
3. Add some fiber too
Nutritionist Karishma Chawla adds that breakfasts that contain good carbohydrates, lean protein, good fats along with essential fiber help maintain blood sugar levels, prevent cravings, provide a great energy boost and enhance coping capabilities and hormone health. Add high fiber fruit such as apple, orange or papaya or even avocado . This helps to fill up on the fiber!
Looking for other breakfast options, Karishma recommends the following:
a) Oats porridge, oats upma or eggs
b) Chilla – either made from moong dal or jowar with some form of protein such as paneer, whey or eggs.
She also recommends adding these to your breakfast:
– Nuts: Incorporate good nuts such as walnuts, almonds and seeds such as pumpkin, flax and sunflower. Ensure the nuts and seeds are raw and not roasted, since that would diminish their fatty acid absorption.
– Add an anti inflammatory concoction: It helps increase energy levels, decrease any kind of inflammation in the body and helps in liver detoxification. One can consume 1 tsp coconut oil, (preferably cold-pressed) with a pinch of turmeric and black pepper.
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