Healthy Living

Quick healthy breakfasts 

We’ve all heard it for years, and it’s true—breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Think about it, you literally break a fast from last night’s dinner, fueling your body for your day ahead.

Many people, especially dieters, skip breakfast to lose weight, when in fact, a more sensible strategy would be to skip dessert or late-night snacks. Others miss breakfast because they're just too busy. Unfortunately, this can set us up to grab anything and everything when hunger kicks in. We need to begin our day right and spend time eating a healthy breakfast, even if it means a little planning.

Most of us are trying to eat healthier—before, during and after work. Breakfast is often overlooked because it's easy to just buy an oversized muffin or pastry on-the-go. While convenient, these choices aren’t always the best since they both usually contain high levels of sugar.

Your healthy breakfast can be cold and even taken to go or eaten at work at your desk—fixing a hot breakfast isn’t necessary to make it healthy. Easy, healthy breakfasts can be as simple as the common breakfast. Try energy or cereal bars as well as healthy cereals. If you get to work using public transportation, you really don’t have an excuse for skipping your first meal. Bring your breakfast with you on the morning commute.

Remember to keep sliced cheese and meat on hand at home. Even though they might not seem like a typical breakfast food, they are great ways to fuel your body in the morning. Look for yogurt in convenient tubes or single-serving containers. Try topping them with fresh nuts for added protein.

Check out the produce aisle at the grocery store and you’ll find all kinds of healthy fruit that can be cut into slices and placed into containers or plastic zip bags. Try dried fruit such as raisins, bananas or cranberries as your healthy choice—they’ve been used for centuries. Bread is also a good addition to your brown-bag breakfast.

So start your own trend with these healthy alternatives to breakfast "junk food"—your body will love you for it!