Nothing better than a good breakfast to honor the Italian saying: "a good beginning bodes well" (il buon giorno si vede dal mattino), as one can tell it's going to be a nice day by the way it starts it with a balanced and nutritious meal to supports energy, focus and mood! (Yes, even that: a happy stomach - not too heavy, not too light - is at the basis of serendipity.)
The 'why': the general principles of my favorite breakfasts that I suggest to you
If you don't want to read about the 'why' of the breakfasts I advice, then skip to the 'what' to eat for breakfast. But if you wish to know: read to follow about macro nutrients balance.
Carbohydrates, or carbs, are necessary for rapid energy, and it's better to eat them with fibers for a gradual and not spiky release of sugar into the bloodstream (although both sugars and fats provide the major energy sources for non-photosynthetic organisms as we are, the process our body goes through to extract energy from carbs is much faster. Glucose is the main carb the body breaks down for fast energy. The energy stored in glucose is then transferred into ATP: the energy the cells can use to work, including for moving all muscles); the healthiest sources of carbs are unprocessed or low processed whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans; while the one to avoid is the added sugar, such as table sugar, which is the one found in sodas, ketchup, sweets, bakery and most processed foods (it has been listed among the causes of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and more). Total carbs for the day depend mainly on activity, and it is around 3-1 per kg of body weight (or more for endurance athletes). Carbs should provide 45-65% of total daily kcal.
Fats are present in all foods as concentrated form of energy to store for later use, and the omega-3 have other positive functions too (for example, ALA - the omega-3 that is found in plants, nuts and seed oils such as avocado, walnuts and flaxseed oil - is linked to a decrease of blood clots and heart disease risk, as it helps to regulate the heart rhythm and pumping. The other type of omega-3, EPA and DHA, can only be found in some type of fish and algae: these are essential for the body, especially as building blocks of the brain and for transmission and reception of signaling in the nervous system. So, the omega-3 ALA that you intake at breakfast from chia seeds or else are good for you, but won't convert into EPA and DHA, or only marginally. Saturated fat, as those in cheese, are to limit as much as possible).
Proteins are essential to repair cells and make new ones. However, the body can use as building blocks only up 30g circa of them per each 'digestive cycle up to stomach exit': therefore, it is advisable to eat about 20-30g in meals at least 3-4 hours apart, as more frequent protein feedings will not lead to higher rate of absorption and use of protein for muscles and other cells . (A Canadian researcher has even found that 20g of protein every 3 hours for 4 times a day was better at helping men build lean muscles than eating smaller amounts more often, e.g. 10g 8 times a day, or bigger amounts less often, e.g., 40g 2 times). Larger amounts than 30g per meal (3 or 4+ hours apart) is actually detrimental for the body, and a easy error to watch out especially for who does intermittent fasting (more than that creates a metabolic burden on the bones, liver and kidney, as there's lots of 'waste material' to filter out: e.g. with more, research has found higher amount of nitrogen in urine). Total proteins for the day depend mainly on activity: for a sedentary person is only 0.75g of protein per kg of body weight per day (but for who trains 5-20 hours/week is 1.2-2g).
Proteins stop cravings and hunger for hours, but you cannot eat them just you as please!
You can also use this calculator to determine your macros needs, based on activity but also on body mass, age and gender https://www.calculator.net/carbohydrate-calculator.html
The 'what': here 8 of my favorite combinations of foods that I suggest for breakfast
Sine I grew up, to the time I went to live in the USA in my 30s, my daily breakfast has been exclusively the continental one: not the healthiest nor one I would recommend! A cup of tea with lemon or coffee with cow milk (cafe latte) and some carbs fully loaded with added sugar (either toasted sourdough or fette biscottate with jam or honey, or biscuits, a slice of cake or crostata, cornetto/croissant or other pastry or fresh bakery product, and some juice or fruit). In the USA I started to eat oatmeal almost daily (at the HLS law school cafeteria, on the return way from the gym and just next to my dorms) after trying a delicious cold oat drink called "Avena"during a trip to Cali, Colombia, which made me discover my love for oats. I then had oatmeal for most breakfasts for the next 10 years! Only recently I embraced variety.
Greek yogurt has usually 10g of proteins every 100g of yogurt and a portion is 125g-150g, although 170g is still fine.
The serving size for peanut butter is 2 tablespoons (32 grams), but I prefer to not exceed 1 tablespoon, which has already 4.5g pf proteins and 9g of fat (it's 51g of fat every 100g, but bear in mind the fats in peanuts are the 'heart-healthy' ones: the mono and polyunsaturated that may help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol).
Frozen berries are 4x cheaper than fresh, although fresh ones have better texture.
Since a decade I eat beef and lamb only occasionally (less than 10 times per year), and no pork at all. Its high content of saturated fat is one of the reasons (as they can rise the risk of heart disease and 'bad' cholesterol); the 'research proven' health benefit of plant-based diets are another reason (for 3 years I was even vegetarian).
My other reason for using meat-substitute products with meat taste is environmental: cattle is bad for climate change because is water intensive and caws emit methane; also, forests are destroyed to create grazing land for global meat demand.
Ricotta with honey on toast is another treat I enjoy once in a while when I feel like remembering the taste of 30 years of continental breakfasts! Ricotta is to eat in moderation though: even if it has lower saturated fat than other types of cheese, it still has a lot! Find those with lower fats.
When I buy mushrooms I usually saute all package with parsley and garlic and store in the fridge for use in many dishes as this. Shiitake nutrients help to protect against cell damage, boost the production of white blood cells for fighting off microbes and have anti-inflammatory properties.
Granola isn't easy to choose among the million varieties sold in stores: the most aren't a healthy choice because contain added sugars such as syrups or honey in large quantities (e.g. total sugars above 20g every 100g of granola); the most are are also coated in oil and low in proteins.
Try to find some granola with low to none added sugars, and with a high variety of seeds, nuts and other food of plant origin.
I substitute cow milk with vegetarian milks to rise plant-foods variety in my diet.
During my first year of daily oatmeal for breakfast in the USA I could top it with limitless quantity (and huge choice) of seeds and nuts and chocolate drops. Then in the UK I had it plain or with half fresh banana or fresh apple for years. Until the pandemic arrived, and I started to enjoy tons of seeds and all types of fruits on it.
All changed when I talked to an Ayurveda doctor though, who advised me to cook dry fruit into the oatmeal rather than fresh (for digestive reasons) and to not add to it more than 2-3 types of fruits and of seeds. (The least I add, the faster to prepare too!)
The first time I tried banana slices on toast was during a trip to Goa in India in 2009, as part of a few months backpacking tour of the country, and it was love at first bite! I haven't had it often since though, except when I feel like eating something sweat and bakery-like, but not as much a cake.
Macha green tea powder is great for its antioxidants, that are 100 times more than those typically found in other green tea. It may help to lower free radicals (which often cause cellular damage and chronic conditions) and can also help prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
The fresher the egg, the less breakable is the red yolk when cooking it: in London, sometimes this isn't found neither when buying the eggs on their first day on shelf! (Long way from the eggs of my childhood at my grandmother and godmother's, given to me from courtyard free chickens!)
Avocados are high in fats (omega-3 ALA) so I have them on light corn thin bread.
Ayurveda golden milk is actually with coconut milk, turmeric, cinnamon and honey, black pepper, optional saffron.
I hope you will try some of these breakfasts that I put together and shared with you!
