Life
Ways To Make Sure You Actually Eat In The Morning
Carving out time to actually eat breakfast is a struggle for most of us. For some reason, no matter how well-intentioned we are, it's the part of our day that seems to fall by the wayside the most. It's why a few fast and easy breakfast hacks can actually be super helpful — they get us that much closer to actually nurturing our bodies when we wake up each day.
And the importance of eating breakfast isn't just an old wive's tale. In an article in Today's Dietitian, Megan Moore, RD, LD, CDE, said, “Breakfast isn’t a meal to skip when trying to keep your metabolism healthy,” noting that, “Your metabolism slows down as you sleep, so there’s nothing like a healthy breakfast to jumpstart it for the day.” In the same article, Keren Gilbert, MS, RD, and founder of Decision Nutrition, said, “People who eat breakfast regularly get more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in their diets, because there are wonderful food choices to include in this meal that are nutritionally dense, like fruit, whole grains, and lean proteins.”
Basically, eating breakfast is not only really enjoyable (because who doesn't like to eat?) but it's really good for you too. And to help prevent you from missing out on this awesome part of your day, here are seven breakfast hacks that should have you eating breakfast way more regularly.
1. Boil Eggs In Bulk
Special Projects editor Adina Steiman at Epicurious, a creative cooking website, recommended boiling up a dozen on Sunday, pre-peeling them, and eating them with salt and your favorite spices, "like za'atar or red-pepper flakes," each morning. Plus, they'll also work as on-the-go snacks for other times of the day if you're ever in a rush but need something to keep you going.
2. Consider Over-Night Oats
Overnight oats might seem kind of annoying — after all — you're supposed to prepare them the night before (and who wants to do that?). However, I promise it takes no more than five minutes to put together these no-cooking-required oatmeal recipes from YouTube chef The Domestic Geek, and then you have them 100 percent ready to eat right when you wake up. Or, if you want to grab and go, consider making it in a portable and sealable mason jar.
3. Make A Batch Of Breakfast Muffins Every Sunday
AllRecipes.com has an awesome whole wheat flour recipe for breakfast muffins that contains a ton of fruits and even veggies. Just make a batch on the weekend and keep them in an airtight tupperware container for a breakfast you can grab on the go all week. And if you prefer more protein in the morning, you can also make a batch of mini-quiches using the same basic method.
4. Cereal
Cereal isn't just the sugary, artificial mix we ate as kids any more. In fact, according to healthy food blogger Holly Waterfall, there are a ton of smart, whole wheat and low sugar cereal options out there now for this super fast and convenient morning meal. She also noted that there are a ton of plant-based milk options out there these days if you have trouble with dairy — just watch out for added sugar content.
5. Always Have Yogurt In The House
Yogurt is an awesome morning option because it requires literally zero preparation, and on Women's Health, Joy Bauer, MS, RD recommended a fruit and nut mix to toss in for the added health benefits. I personally like to eat my yogurt in a glass jar to create a mini parfait effect, just because it makes me feel nice, but you can just as easily throw it all together in a bowl for a super quick morning meal.
6. Think About Toast
Mike Kamo, founder of the health and fitness site Nutrition Secrets, recommended simply eating whole wheat toast with almond butter in the mornings, and topping with some sliced bananas if you like something sweet. "The total time to make this is less than five minutes, but it will keep you energized and awake throughout your entire morning," he said. Seriously, who doesn't have time for toast?
7. Set You Alarm For 15 Minutes Earlier Than Usual
This is a personal common sense tip that I always recommend to friends who say they never have time to eat breakfast. Every single option above should require no more than ten minutes to prepare and eat, so if you just budget a measly extra 15 minutes into your morning routine your breakfast problem will be good as solved. And odds are the benefits you gain from a nutritious breakfast will more than make up for that 15 minutes of sleep you lost.
Breakfast is freaking awesome, so why should we deprive ourselves of it so often? Just be a little proactive about making sure you have the right basic ingredients in the house, and give yourself a little extra time each morning, and you're officially in the breakfast business! Was that really so hard?
