by Paola Fanutti
We've all heard it before. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After slumbering for eight long hours, a healthy breakfast fuels our body with the vital energy and nutrients to keep us going until noontime.
And it really only takes five short minutes in the morning to whip up a nutritious, kick-start morning meal.
Tomorrow morning, instead of hitting the snooze button and hiding under the covers, why not try out some tasty breakfast ideas that will make you want to wake up early on weekdays?
Try starting your day with a protein-packed Peanut Butter and Strawberry Smoothie. Blend 1/4 cup of non-fat regular or soy milk along with half a banana, 1 tablespoon of light peanut butter, 2 or three strawberries and a couple ice cubes. Bananas are great sources of potassium and magnesium while milk provides Vitamin A and D and calcium. At only 160 calories a glass, savor a smoothie while taking in 7 grams of protein. If peanut butter and strawberry isn't your style, simply blend together a few tablespoons of yogurt, ice cubes and your favorite fruit for a creamy treat.
Need a five minute breakfast option that is a bit more substantial? A low-fat yogurt topped with blueberries or raspberries, along with a glass of orange juice and half a whole wheat bagel spread with light peanut butter is a great balanced breakfast. Consumed in under five minutes, orange juice and fruit provide anti-oxidants, Vitamin C, magnesium and potassium, while the yogurt is a great source of calcium and Vitamins A and D. Bagels provide whole wheat carbs and B complex vitamins, and peanut butter offers Vitamin E and protein, and makes a better bagel spread than other supposedly fruit based, sugar-laden jellies and jams.
Another excellent breakfast selection for those on the go are nutrient fortified cereals or muesli. Many breakfast cereals now contain dried fruit, banana chunks, and nuts for an extra dose of flavor, fiber and vitamins. Try topping your cereal with extra fruit, flaxseed or cinnamon. Cereals are great complex carb sources, whose energy is digested and released slowly. Cereals and muesli are packed with important B complex vitamins, like riboflavin, folic acidand niacin.
The fiber in breakfast cereals and muesli will keep you full until midday.
Oatmeal is another great choice for the truly time constrained, and can be microwave ready in under a minute and a half. Studies show that oatmeal consumption can help lower cholesterol, and the goodness of oatmeal supplies Omega 3 fatty acids and is an excellent fiber-rich, complex carb source.
Don't have time to eat at all and about to make a mad dash for the door? Take along an energy or meal replacement bar, which supplies many essential minerals and vitamins. You can take a minute and unwrap it during your walk from the parking lot to your work entrance before you start your day, or consume it at your desk while your computer turns on.
What are some breakfast choices to skip or consume very sparingly? Fried eggs, bacon or sausages, pancakes and syrup, muffins, donuts, buttered toast, and other fatty breakfasts will leave you more lethargic than energetic on hectic weekday mornings.
Preparing a healthy breakfast with a busy timetable is quick and easy, and best of all, will still leave you those precious few minutes to wait in the Starbucks drive through for that morning jolt of java to keep you awake during your monotonous Monday meeting.
A Starbucks 12 ounce sugarfree, skinny Caffe Mocha minus the whipped cream gives you 30% of your recommended calcium intake and 9 grams of protein along with your caffeine fix.
Eating on the go has become a pervasive fact of life in our busy, frenetic culture, but starting the morning with a healthy meal is still possible even for the truly time pressed. Preparing a healthy breakfast really only takes a couple of our morning's minutes, and even the busiest of us can find five minutes to spare for our health.
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