5 Healthy Breakfast Tips to Keep You Full Until Lunchtime

Tired of getting so hungry before noon? Here’s how to build a healthy breakfast and stay full until lunchtime!

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Quick: List 10 common breakfast foods.

According to a survey of 2000 people in the US, the top 5 breakfast foods are eggs, sausage, toast, pancakes, and bacon.

Rounding out the top 10 are these:

• cereal
• fruit
• oatmeal
• homefries
• doughnuts (no, no, no, no, no!)

I’m all for eggs, whole-grain toast or cereal, fruit, and oatmeal. But I’d rather see the others given “occasional” status.

When I look at this list of breakfast favorites, I’m not surprised so many people complain that breakfast leaves them unsatisfied. How can anyone feel nourished, energized, and ready to start the day running on little more than starch and sugar?

The wrong idea about breakfast

A doughnut and coffee can never be called breakfast. Because breakfast is a meal. Pancakes and syrup aren’t a meal either. A meal is a balance of protein, carbs, fats, and health-boosting nutrients.

Let’s toss the idea that breakfast means starchy, sugary white stuff with a side of processed meat.

Breakfast pastries and low-nutrient meals aren’t uniquely American, but visiting other countries opened my eyes to other breakfast options.

5 ways to build a healthy breakfast

Follow these tips to boost nutrition, stay full until lunchtime, and fantasize about life as a world breakfast connoisseur.

Healthy Breakfast Tip #1:  Think veggies!

For breakfast? Yes, indeed.

If you wait until dinner, you’ll have a hard time downing the recommended minimum of 2 to 3 cups of vegetables every day. Lots of us should start early in the day. A whopping 87% of adults in the US fail to meet the recommendations.

I never considered vegetables at breakfast until I visited Israel several years ago. No matter what we ordered for breakfast, chopped cucumber, and tomato filled a good section of the plate.

And they were delicious.

Interestingly, most foreign countries I’ve visited routinely serve vegetables at the morning meal. Here’s a bit of what I’ve seen and learned from others.

• Shakshuka, a dish of poached eggs in a sauce with tomatoes, onions, and peppers, is common in the Middle East.
  

  You’ll love this healthy version of Shakshuka with spinach and feta cheese.

• Huevos rancheros – typically made with eggs, salsa, and corn tortillas – are common in Mexico. Yes, salsa is a vegetable, and I love it with eggs!
• Greek salad, stuffed grape leaves, and olives greet breakfast diners in Greece.
• An egg inside an avocado half and grilled tomatoes were on the breakfast buffet in Vienna.
• I enjoyed sautéed mixed vegetables in Brazil and grilled tomatoes in Copenhagen.
• English breakfasts often include baked beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
• Roasted tomatoes and mashed avocado belong on the breakfast plates in Chile.
• Sautéed vegetables and leafy greens are common in Beijing, China.

Healthy Breakfast Tip #2: Go for whole grains

Whole-wheat toast and oatmeal, quinoa, barley, and wheat berries are great. Why not try quinoa simmered in a mix of water and orange juice with sprinkled cinnamon, and diced fruit and nuts?

I love muesli for its uncooked oats, which give us resistant starch for better insulin sensitivity, cholesterol levels, and gut health. One of my favorite hotel breakfasts ever is muesli with yogurt, strawberries, almond butter, and walnuts in Lisbon. I looked forward to it every morning for a week!

Healthy Breakfast Tip #3: Add some protein

About that muesli I just mentioned: For ease, I sprinkle it on protein-packed Greek yogurt or cottage cheese at home.

And speaking about cottage cheese and Greek yogurt;  they’re perfect blank slates. Try out any flavor palate with them – sweet or savory. Fruit, nuts, and cinnamon one day, cucumber, diced tomatoes, basil, and black pepper the next day

Eggs are universal, but I learned about Shakshuka in Israel.

Lots of European countries serve fish in the morning. Others serve tofu and beans. Try out my Creamy Oats and Lentils with Sweetly Spiced Apples to enjoy both whole-grain oats and protein-packed lentils in the morning.

Healthy Breakfast Tip #4: Think healthy fats

Sprinkle nuts on your oatmeal or into your Greek yogurt or spread peanut butter on your whole-grain toast.

But don’t add coconut oil to your breakfast smoothie. Check out 3 Things to Know about Coconut Oil to Save Your Health.

And find out how to make a blood sugar-friendly breakfast smoothie.

Healthy Breakfast Tip #5: Round out your meal with fruit

Choose any kind – fresh, frozen, or dried.

Ta-dah! That’s all there is to it.

These 5 healthy breakfast tips marry nutritious to delicious and offer you so many balanced breakfast ideas.

Hint: Don’t fret about fitting in each food group at breakfast. My own goal is to eat at least three food groups per meal.

You can enjoy a global-inspired healthy breakfast at home

You don’t have to travel the globe to build a healthy breakfast. But let’s get kitchen creative and update old ideas of breakfast. Try some of these new ways.

• Sip an 8-ounce glass of V8^®Original Low Sodium to score two vegetable servings at once.
• Add any combination of sautéed vegetables to your omelet. Mushrooms, scallions, spinach, and feta cheese anyone?
• Top scrambled eggs or tofu with jarred or homemade salsa.
• Enjoy a breakfast burrito with eggs or tofu and sautéed onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes in a whole-grain wrap. Toss in black beans and reduced-fat cheese too.
• Whip up a batch of egg muffins with spinach, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and Southwest spices.
• Turn oatmeal savory. Add small bits of broccoli, kale, or any favorite vegetables to the pot while the oats simmer. Season with garlic, sriracha, cumin, or whatever you enjoy. Or try my Savory Oats and Lentils. Top it with an egg for an extra protein boost.
  

  This healthy savory oats and lentils recipe is even more delicious topped with grated Parmesan cheese, scallions and maybe even some toasted nuts.

• Get creative with toast. Top whole-grain toast with any of these:
  • mashed avocado and tomato
  • hummus, tomatoes, and olives
  • caramelized onions, apple slices, and goat cheese
  • beans, green chiles, and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese
• Cash in on the grain bowl trend. Add leftover vegetables to prepared rice or quinoa. Add chicken or an egg for protein.
• Even soups and salads make terrific nontraditional breakfasts. Check out what I ate in China and you’ll see why I say that.

Frequently asked questions about breakfast

Here are the most common questions my students and clients ask about breakfast.

• Doesn’t eating breakfast make it harder to manage blood sugar? Go to answer.
• Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Go to answer.
• Is it true that breakfast jumpstarts metabolism? Go to answer.
• How much protein do I need at breakfast? Go to answer.

Doesn’t eating breakfast make it harder to manage blood sugar?

Even if you have prediabetes or diabetes, eating breakfast is a good idea. Some research suggests skipping breakfast and eating more food and calories later in the day worsens insulin sensitivity. Even if your fasting blood sugar is elevated, breakfast might be the way to bring it down. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but eating some carbs in the morning takes you out of the fasting state and triggers insulin release. And this tells your liver that you’re no longer fasting and it can stop releasing sugar. With a surge of insulin on board after a night of fasting, your blood sugar can come down after your meal.

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

Maybe this is a picky nutritionist thing, but I think every meal is important. Each meal might provide 25% or more of your daily calories and nutrients, so each meal is critical.

Yeah, breakfast is super important, but so are lunch and dinner. I don’t recommend skipping any of them.

Is it true that breakfast jumpstarts metabolism?

Not in the sense you probably think. Indeed, the digestion, absorption, and processing of food and nutrients burns calories, but that happens whenever you eat – no matter the time. There’s nothing special about breakfast that will make you burn more calories over a full day.

How much protein do I need at breakfast?

You need two things for muscle building: strength training and protein. You need about 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal for optimal muscle building and maintenance. Eating a lot of protein – like a big steak or a half-roasted chicken – at dinner won’t do the trick. Spread your protein out over your three or four daily meals. Here are some foods with protein. You can mix and match to get your 20 – 30 grams per meal.

• Lean meats such as poultry, fish, and beef: ~ 7 grams/ounce
• Egg: ~ 6 grams/medium egg
• Beans: ~ 8 grams/1/2 cup
• Milk: ~ 8 grams/cup
• Vegetables: ~ 4 grams/cup cooked vegetables
• Whole-grain bread: ~ 4 grams/slice
• Whole grains: ~3-4 grams per 1/2 cup

Check out these other protein myths.