Simply put, breakfast eaters weigh less than breakfast skippers.
Think a Venti coffee that holds you over until noon is the path to a sustainable HOT BODY? Think again.
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A boot camper Sarah A. in my Battery Park location emailed me asking what would be the best breakfast to eat in order to maximize her results from our intense boot camp workouts.
You’ll want to pair a protein with a carb and the good news is that it’s much easier than you think. But BEWARE: All breakfast foods are NOT created equal.
Here are 5 breakfast ideas that will set you up for success for the rest of the day:
1) 1/2 Cup of Oatmeal/Oat Bran. This by itself does have a lil protein but good things to add on top to add extra protein are: Sliced nuts and seeds. Use variety there too! What I suggest (and do myself) is to get a bunch of different seeds/nuts/raisins from the store. When you get home, pack them into 1 container so that you have an awesome healthy trail mix available at all times as a quick topping. Just sprinkle a lil over your oatmeal and you are good to go!
Seed examples: unsalted, no oil added – sunflower, pumpkin, flax.
Nut examples: unsalted, no oil added – cashews, almonds, peanut, Brazil, walnuts etc
For a tiny bit of sweetness, add raisins – black, and yellow or other fruit on top.
Switch up the oatmeal occasionally for oat bran. You will usually find this in the oatmeal isle. Oat bran is yummy and has the same consistency as oatmeal.
2) Add almond milk, soy milk or hemp milk instead of just plain water to the oatmeal/oat bran. If it’s your 1st go at these types of non-dairy milks, opt for the sweetened variety. Then , wean down to unsweetened. These milks add tons of great protein for the body. (If you eat dairy, add plain old skim cows milk.)
3) Nut butter (no salt or sugar added) on 100% whole grain sprouted bread. I recommend Ezekiel Low Sodium bread found in the freezer section at most stores. Because not all “whole grain” bread is created equal, you must READ INGREDIENT LABELS. Bread should have about 4 ingredients max and DOES NOT contain sugar or more salt than 50 mg of salt per piece.
4) Whey protein powder blended with ice and fruit. You can add soy milk or skim cows milk or b) 0% greek yogurt or any of the above milks for more protein. If you are adding the milk instead of water, you can eliminate the protein powder all together (real food source is better anyway.) This smoothie takes only about 2 minutes to make btw.
5) 2 egg whites on 1 piece of 100% whole grain sported bread or in a small wrap. Be vvvvery careful when choosing wraps. They must only be the size of your hand and must be whole wheat with NO sugar in the ingredients. READ those labels!! Add extra “good fat” (IE non artery clogging fat) by adding a slice of avocado OR/AND more protein by adding lentils or beans.
This is all stuff that you WILL NOT be able to find at your local bodega on your rush to work or to drop the kids at school. All it takes is just a lil shopping in advance and 2-4 minutes of prep time right after boot camp or your morning workout. (Save yourself a headache and be as efficient as possible: keep all of this stuff stocked in your house at all times as none of it can perish except maybe the milks and eggs.)
Please feel free to add any piece of fruit to any and all of the above suggestions as some serving sizes are smaller than others and might require additional sources of good quality calories to make you feel full.
VARIETY IS THE KEY. Eating the same meal every day for breakfast can and will lead to boredom and will result in falling off track. Switch things up and always be on the look out for new and healthy items to incorporate into your meals. Variety will keep you interested in healthy eating for the long haul.
Good luck with this girls! If you have quick and easy breakfast ideas, please leave them below in the comments section! Have a STRONG and HEALTHY day!
Laura Miranda MSPT, CSCS
www.StrongHealthyWoman.com
646.454.0777
