Breakfast is essential for breaking the overnight fast and providing energy for the brain and body. At breakfast, you must eat around 20/25% of the day’s calories, and vary the foods, sometimes sweet and sometimes salty, to take in nutrients such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and fiber. A balanced breakfast improves attention, concentration, and memory. If you eat breakfast regularly, you will be less likely to suffer from being overweight or obesity. A good habit is to alternate breakfast, sometimes sweet and sometimes savory.
Table of Contents
The Breakfast Was Perfect And Varied
In our country, breakfast is rarely observed and often always the same. For convenience, it is consumed at the bar with a cappuccino and a quick croissant and then ends up at lunch with an exaggerated hunger and little energy. In a varied and balanced diet, breakfast must also include macro and micronutrients. Let’s see why. Because simple sugars are absorbed quickly and are immediately available to be used and give a nice boost first thing in the morning, simple sugars include:
- Fructose is found in honey.
- Fresh and dried fruit.
- Fruit juices.
- Sucrose (white or brown cooking sugar).
- Lactose (milk, yogurt, and fresh cheese).
Be careful to do just what is necessary: simple sugars should be at most 10-15 % of daily calories. Why complex carbohydrates: complex carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly, make you feel full, and provide long-term energy throughout the morning. For breakfast, you can opt for bread, biscuits, cereal flakes (and oat flakes), breakfast cereals, biscuits, and cakes, preferably with reduced sugar content and made with wholemeal flour. Always check the labels and nutritional values of the product to be taken.
Because proteins; Proteins at breakfast help give energy and maintain satiety, avoiding peaks of hunger in the hours following breakfast. Plus, they’re critical for preserving muscle mass. It is essential to vary protein foods, opting for animal products such as milk, dairy products, eggs, and fresh and mature cheeses such as Grana Padano DOP, which is 25g and contains 8.25 g of proteins complete with all nine essential amino acids.
Furthermore, it is naturally lactose-free. You can also find good proteins in beans, soya, derivatives, and dried nuts. Why vitamins: Vitamins are essential because they are essential for metabolism. You can fill up on vitamins from fruit and vegetables which can also provide many mineral salts and antioxidants, precious allies of health. Because fats are an excellent source of energy, they help the absorption of some vitamins and, at the same time, provide energy for several hours.
Fat sources with a good ratio between mono-, poly-unsaturated, and saturated fats, such as avocado and dried nuts: walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.), are preferable in Grana Padano DOP; for example, we also find 30% unsaturated. Fibers are allies of the intestine; they facilitate digestion and intestinal transit and are beneficial for our intestinal microbiota. You can find them in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Breakfast Sweet Or savory?
In Italy the usual breakfast is sweet, unlike other countries where it is predominantly savory, but which is better? The correct answer does not exist, whether it is a sweet or savory breakfast; what matters is that it is balanced in nutrients, not too rich in simple sugars, but not too rich in salt and fats. The rule is to vary as much as possible; for example, in a week, four sweet and three savory breakfasts could be a good habit, keeping in mind that the quantities of food vary from person to person based on their needs.
Examples Of Sweet Breakfast
- A slice of wholemeal bread with ricotta and jam, coffee or tea (also decaffeinated)
- Jar of Greek yogurt with muesli (or whole grains), dried fruit, nuts, and fresh fruit, coffee or tea, including decaffeinated tea
- One slice of donut, 0% fat Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit, coffee or tea, even decaffeinated
- A cup of milk with wholemeal biscuits (or cereals), coffee or even decaffeinated tea
Examples Of Savory Breakfast
- A slice of wholemeal bread with flakes of Grana Padano DOP, pear and walnuts, coffee or tea, or even decaffeinated
- A slice of wholemeal bread with avocado and one hard-boiled egg, a fruit and vegetable smoothie, coffee or tea, even decaffeinated
- A toast with sliced turkey and fresh tomatoes, a fruit and vegetable smoothie, coffee, or even decaffeinated tea
Examples Of Sweet Vegan Breakfast
- A slice of wholemeal bread with peanut butter and jam, soy drink, coffee, or even decaffeinated tea
- Bowl of soy yogurt with granola, nuts, sh fruit, coffee or tea, or even decaffeinated
- Chia pudding (mix two tablespoons of chia seeds in 150 ml of vegetable drink and leave to rest overnight; serve in the morning with fresh fruit, nuts, and a handful of muesli), coffee or tea, even decaffeinated.
- A soy yogurt and blueberry smoothie + wholemeal vegan biscuits, coffee or even decaffeinated tea
Examples: Savory Vegan Breakfast
- A slice of wholemeal bread with hummus and nuts + a fruit and vegetable smoothie, coffee or tea, even decaffeinated
- A slice of wholemeal bread with avocado and a few slices of tofu, a fruit and vegetable smoothie, coffee or tea, even decaffeinated
- A slice of wholemeal bread with cherry tomatoes and olive oil, soy drink, coffee or tea, even decaffeinated
If it’s complex to organize a balanced breakfast, download the LOVe Diet program here. (lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet balanced in macro and micronutrients and eco-sustainable). By signing up you will receive completely free tasty vegetarian menus customized for your calories.
Don’t Love Breakfast? Here’s What To Do
Suppose you don’t feel hungry in the morning but still want to have some energy. In that case, you can try moving breakfast to mid-morning so you don’t get too hungry at lunchtime, or you can start breakfast with small portions and opt for a little ‘ fruit or a slice of bread with a flake of Grana Padano DOP, dry foods in the morning are often better tolerated. Starting with small portions, you can gradually increase the quantity to arrive at a complete breakfast.
Also Read: With Power Into The Day: Recipes & Ideas For A Healthy Breakfast
