Healthy Breakfast Ideas to Get You Going

Remember the speech "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" from you mom?

Your mom isn't the only expert in our midst. According to Mayo Clinic breakfast fuels the body and gives you energy to keep you going for hours. The National Institute for Health reports that whenyou eat a healthy breakfast you are less likely to overeat later in the day. Weight Watchers teaches if you are trying to lose weight - skipping meals may cause you to gain weight. Think about this. Breakfast is really "breaking" your night time "fast". So if you skip the first meal of the day your body will be running on the energy (food) from the day before. That's a lot to ask of your body. Don't you think?

But wait, you already know that.

So what's the problem? How to do it.

Squeezing in a healthy breakfast

Mornings tend to be hectic for most of us. For some of us the kids, husband and pets are more than we can juggle. For the rest of us just getting out of bed is challenge enough. Adding breakfast to the mix and a healthy one at that just seems like too much.

Good planning, change a few habits and you're over half way to improving your health. It's equally easy to eat healthy as it is to eat unhealthy. You're just in the habit of eating unhealthy. Now is a good time to develop the habit of eating healthy.

• Start the night before you go to work.
• Think about what you want for breakfast the next day.
• Set out any dry ingredients and any bowls, blenders or pans so they're ready for use.
• Make breakfast the night before and put in the refrigerator.
• Make a weeks' worth, divide it into daily portions.
• Pack a to-go breakfast the night before.

Quick healthy breakfast ideas

You have plenty of ways to get in a healthy breakfast each day, and it doesn't always have to be a your mom's breakfast of cold sugary cereal, fried eggs and bacon.

Healthy breakfast ideas to get you going in the morning:

Eggs

• A whole-wheat pita stuffed with organic scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, organic sliced tomatoes
• Organic egg omelet with chopped vegetables, fruit and 100% whole wheat toast
• Breakfast sandwich with 100% whole grain bread sliced and an organic hard-boiled egg

Cereal

• Cooked oatmeal, steel cut oats or multigrain cereal topped with almonds or dried cranberries
• Whole grain high fiber (at least 8 grams) cold cereal

Vegetables

• A whole wheat tortilla filled with vegetables, salsa
• Vegetable smoothies - blended romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, banana, flax seeds and protein powder
• Carrot, celery, cucumber sticks and yogurt
• Celery sticks, peanut nut butter and raisins

Fruit

• Yogurt with chopped fruit, nuts and raisins
• Fruit smoothies - blended from fruits, some low-fat yogurt and a spoonful of wheat germ and protein powder
• Trail Mix of nuts and dried fruit
• Sliced apple and almond nut butter

Pancakes - Waffles

• Multigrain pancakes with fruit and yogurt
• Buckwheat pancakes with pecans
• A whole-grain waffle with peanut butter

Bagels - Toast - Crackers

• Whole-wheat crackers, bagels or 100% whole wheat bread with peanut butter or almond nut butter add a banana or apple
• A whole-wheat vegetarian sandwich on a bagel with hummus, fresh spinach, romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber

A word about food bars, protein powder and processed soy products.

Food bars are not always a good option. Food bars have become a popular to grab and go food for a speedy breakfast. However, it's important to read the food labels carefully. Many food bars have as many calories, fats, sugars and the overall nutrition as a candy bar.

Powdered protein can be a problem. The protein in protein powder is generally from whey, milk, or soy. Many people are allergic (or creates gastric distress) to milk and whey. The American Cancer Society recommends soy as cancer protective and the American Heart Association as reducing your heart attach risk. When selecting soy go with whole food sources, the healthiest option.

Processed soy is used in food bars and substitutes for protein such as veggie burgers. Processed soy like all processed foods are bad for you. Stick with natural, non-GMO (genetically modified organic) soy beans, tofu, miso, soy milk and whole food soy protein drinks. If you're wondering what company to go with check out Cornucopia Institute's Behind the Bean report.