A healthy breakfast can start your day right, give you energy, and helping you to avoid excessive hunger throughout the day. Many common breakfast foods are laden with fat and can really make you pack on the pounds if you're not careful to plan some low-fat alternatives. Nutritionists advise that a healthy breakfast should consist of at least one food from each of the following groups: protein, dairy, whole grains, fruits or vegetables.
Protein
Start your healthy, low-fat breakfast with protein foods such as egg whites, low-fat cottage cheese and lean meats. Make an egg white omelet and add sliced bell pepper, mushrooms and onions to get in a serving of vegetables. Make scrambled egg whites with fresh herbs such as basil, parsley or thyme, and fresh chopped tomatoes. Serve them with low-fat turkey bacon or sausage. Cottage cheese is good with fruit such as diced apples or pears, whole fresh berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Dairy
Dairy foods are satisfying, a good source of calcium, and don't require much or any preparation time, making them ideal breakfast foods. Yogurt, milk and cheese are good choices and widely available in low-fat or nonfat versions. You can make a smoothie with any combination of fresh or frozen fruit coupled with yogurt, milk or cottage cheese, and a few ice cubes. Top a whole grain bagel or slice of bread with a slice of tomato, low-fat cheese, and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Toast under the broiler for a quick and hot breakfast.
Whole Grains
There are lots of options for healthy low-fat breakfasts that start with a whole grain dish. Oatmeal with blueberries and skim milk, hot mixed grain cereal with shredded apples and a topping of yogurt and cinnamon, whole grain muffins or bagels with low-fat cream cheese, and whole grain cold cereals with sliced bananas are some options. Choose whole grain products that aren't loaded with sugar or you could end up taking in way more calories than you need. Add some hard-boiled egg whites or vegan sausage to these whole grain choices to round out the menu and provide some protein.
Fruits and Vegetables
When fresh fruit is in season, it can be the main course in a healthy low-fat breakfast. Make a fruit salad with fresh peaches, blueberries, pears and bananas. Cut a small honeydew or cantaloupe in half, scoop out the seeds, and fill the hollow with cottage or ricotta cheese drizzled with a little honey. Vegetables can be part of a delicious low-fat breakfast as well. Cut acorn or butternut winter squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake with a drizzle of honey and cinnamon or allspice. Bake sweet potatoes in their skins and serve topped with pure maple syrup. Add food choices from the above groups for a complete and balanced breakfast.
Tags: whole grain, healthy low-fat, low-fat breakfast, breakfast foods, cheese good
