Start your day by vegging out

Submitted by TERRI CHAPMAN/ HEALTHQUEST

I know you’ve heard that skipping breakfast is bad news, but what do you do with this information? Are you using it as motivation to walk out with breakfast in hand, wake up earlier to prepare something, explore meal planning and prep, or choose foods with your early morning meal in mind?

If you do, you’ll find that your day is easier to manage, your attitude is easier to maintain and your wellness goals are more attainable. Despite the decline in breakfast consumption, the Journal of Diabetes Research cites a connection between eating breakfast and reduced risk of overweight/obesity (and thus a reduction in all of the complications accompanying an elevated weight status), a greater likelihood of meeting dietary recommendations through the day and an enhanced cognitive performance and functionality.

While it saves time (and punctuality is the ultimate pressure for many), walking out the door without a thought to food works against you on multiple fronts.

“OK,” you say. “I’ll prioritize breakfast,” you say. Well, there is a next step: the step of choosing your foods.

People typically picture eggs and bacon, a pile of pancakes with syrup or butter or a bowl of cereal when thinking of how to get their morning started. But there are many more options available. And they won’t only get the day started, but get it started right. You see, an overly-sweet breakfast is damaging to your day by impressing excessive calories, cognitive limitations and elevated insulin response for your body and mind.

No worries though. You do have another option: savory foods. The savory taste profile specifically refers to “food that is flavorful in ways that don’t involve sugar.”

A savory breakfast provides an opportunity to weave in a serving of vegetables which, in my home, guides us to also revamp the name of this most important meal of the day. Straying from the standard carb-heavy, overly-sweetened delicacies of cereal, bagel and cream cheese, or breads (muffins, biscuits, croissants, pastries, Pop-Tarts, cinnamon rolls, etc.), and adding vegetables to savory breakfast dishes will meet the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans by improving overall nutrient intakes.

This is not to imply that only veggies at breakfast is the goal, since the myPlate recommendations of two to three cups of vegetables per day remain a consistent goal.

It’s important to also consider balance in creating a good hearty breakfast by making sure your meal has a minimum of three food groups. Striving for a veggiefilled breakfast meal will likely mean that your meal also includes protein and carbohydrates with those garden-fresh or frozen delicacies.

So, rest happy that efforts spent to add back breakfast to your morning line-up will pay off. And, the savory satisfaction you’ll experience after adding veggies to your startthe-day meal will send you out the door with energy to last your morning through, keep your blood sugar regulated with control and your mind sharp as a tack.

That said, here is a whole week of “veggie-fast” options just waiting to be explored in your kitchen.

Veggie omelet — spinach, sauteed mushrooms and onion in a two-egg omlette, with whole wheat toast. Add cheese if you wish.

Breakfast burrito — scrambled egg with black beans, sauteed red/green pepper strips with onion and crushed red pepper or Tobasco, folded into a whole wheat tortilla.

Quiche — turkey or chicken sausage, mushrooms, onions and feta, in a crusted or crustless pie pan.

Smoothie — overripe banana, kale or spinach, and pineapple in Greek yogurt. Add a tablespoon of ground flax for extra heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Oatmeal — smashed sweet potatoes (or pumpkin) with cinnamon, diced apple, and walnuts or pecans. Add some ground flax or chic seeds for an omega-3 punch. Sandwich — whole grain bread and smashed avocado topped with scrambled egg. Note: two sliced hard-boiled eggs and laying out sliced hard-boiled egg on top of the avocado spread works just as well. Extra veggie points if your avocado spread has chopped tomato and red onion.

Dinner round 2 — If last night’s dinner featured a vegetable, go ahead and have it again. This means wanting a bowl of chili in the morning is fine. How about stir fry? Sure. Even spaghetti with a veggie-heavy sauce and sprinkle of fresh parmesan will work just fine at 8 a.m. The sky’s the limit as long as the vegetables are more prominent than the grain — and you didn’t eat all the protein (meat/ chicken/tofu) when you were enjoying it the night before.

Note: In general, look to keep the grain portion of “dinner round 2” between ⅓ and ½ cup, with the veggie portion equal or greater.

If you seek personalized individual nutrition counseling to combat weight issues, desire insight to eat in regards to a specific medical condition or to scrutinize your current habits in efforts to reform your food regime, reach out at 919-938-6597.