Grocery Guide: 5 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Ladies and Gentleman, please! If there is nothing else you take away from my articles, take this and run: In order to lose weight, maintain your weight, and improve your health, you must eat breakfast. It's that simple.

"I have no appetite in the morning!" "I'm too busy!" you insist. Yeah, yeah, I've heard all of the excuses a million times. Read on and I shall give you the WHY, WHEN, and WHAT, on this delicious and nutritious daily ritual. (I'm bringin' breakfast back...)

Please refer to this Grocery Guide:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Grocery_Guide_Weight_Loss_For_Life

All of the recipes in this article are all built around that list. Feel free to modify them to your liking, just so long as you stay within the realms of substitution and do not deviate to the nearest Dunkin Donuts. (i.e., an old-fashioned donut would be a poor substitution for old fashioned oatmeal, m-kay?).

OK, first the WHY:

According to a study by The American Heart Association, eating breakfast may reduce the risk of obesity by 35-50%. Why? Because when you skip a meal your brain signals your body's metabolism to sl-o-o--w down and as a result, your blood sugar drops, (which has been linked to insulin resistance syndrome,an early sign of diabetes). If your metabolism is lagging than you can not burn calories efficiently and you must burn calories to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. What's worse, is that skipping breakfast sets you up to overeat later on in the day. So if you let yourself go too long without food not only does your metabolism slow down, but as you get hungrier and hungrier your defenses weaken. It's when you are at your weakest that your office-mate walks in with a box of donuts! You just can't help yourself. You grab for the box ("Just one", you think)... it's so delicious. As you begin to chew the moist, sweet confection, your stomach begins to gurgle, MORE! MORE! ("Well, I didn't eat breakfast", you reason)...one donut leads to another, and suddenly you've had 1,2,3 (dare I go on?). Not only are the donuts full of processed sugar and saturated fat, but since you didn't eat breakfast, your metabolism ism is on strike and thus the calories just chill out and lazily turn to fat (to be stored away for the next time you go too long without food). Diet sabotage.

WHEN, should you eat?

Ideally you should try and eat within an hour of waking, before your blood sugar begins to drop. If you are like me and head straight to the gym the minute you open your eyes, than it's OK to exercise first, so long as your session is only an hour. If you plan on hitting the weights and the treadmill and setting up camp then you should have a quick snack. Something easy to digest, like a piece of fruit with a little bit of yogurt, or a rice cake with a bit of natural peanut butter, not too much because you will be rushing home for the real deal as soon as you finish your sweat-sesh.

WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? To eat:

Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day. I look forward to it each night and each morning. I love it because when I am eating it I know it's fueling my body. I love it because it gives me energy to face my lame commute. I love it because I know that if nothing else goes right, at least I started my day with a good meal. Most of all, I love it because it it is scrumptious and virtually guilt-free. Please read on to learn how to make my Top 5 Favorite Healthy Breakfasts. I have taken into consideration the "Grocery Guide" list, basic time-management, total calories (200-400),a good balance of macro-nutrients, and of course, deliciousness. I hope that you like them as much as I do! ENJOY:

Top 5 Metabolism Boosting Breakfasts:

Blueberry Spiced Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats

1/4 C Frozen or Fresh Blueberries

1 oz. Raw Almonds, chopped

Cinnamon, Splenda (or honey), Skim (or soy) Milk

Cook oatmeal according to directions. I recommend the slow cooking kind if you have the time . However, if you must rush off to work go with the Quick Oats, NOT the flavored, instant kind. (too sugary...not as much fiber). Chop up the almonds, toss in to the oatmeal along with berries and stir. Add a packet of Splenda (or a TB of Honey if you are anti-Splenda) and a dash of cinnamon. Delicious! Not only that but it is high in fiber, antioxidants, protein and whole grainand it's hearty, so it keeps you sated.

Breakfast Burrito Supremo

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat-Tortilla Wrap (I like Tumaro's Soy-Full)

1/2 Cup Raw Egg-Whites

1 Cup Chopped Spinach

3 Cherry Tomatoes Sliced

1 oz. Skim Milk Mozzarella

Salsa (to taste)

Turn on a pan, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Measure out 1/2 cup of egg-whites and pour in pan. Add spinach and tomatoes and scramble it up. Meanwhile, stick the tortilla in the microwave, or if you're a purist and you have tons of time, simultaneously heat a tortilla in a neighboring pan. Lucky you. Top the tortilla with 1 oz cheese and heat it to melting, top with egg-white scramble and top with salsa. Muy Deliciosa! This is a favorite of mine if I am in a rush because I can wrap it in a napkin and run out the door. (Bring extra napkins...)

Toasted Pita-Butter-Licious

1 small Whole Wheat Pitette (Tofuyan are my fave..check ingredients!)

1 TB Natural Peanut Butter (IT MUST BE NATURAL - NO HYDRO STUFF!)

1/2 TB Honey

1/2 Banana Sliced

This is great for the quickie breakfast. It's wee, but strong; you get protein,healthy fat, whole grain and yummy sweetness too!

"I Love Protein" Pancakes

1/3 Cup Low-fat Cottage Cheese

1/2 Cup Egg-Whites

1/2 Cup Oatmeal (dry)

1/4 Cup Blueberries (or any fresh fruit)

Dash of Cinnamon

Dash of Vanilla Extract

1 Pk. Splenda

1 Tb. Sugar-Free Maple Syrup (optional)

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend it up! Once blended add the blueberries. Heat that pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Dollop it out to the size you desire. This makes one HUGE pancake or three little ones. Cook evenly on both sides, they sort of puff up and get crazy, but don't be afraid. I think these are delicious plain. However, they are even better with sugar-free maple syrup (if you're counting cals) or honey, or, natural PB. They are also delicious cold for a between meal fix. This is a staple amongst fitness models as it is super high in protein, low in fat and sugar and only has the "good carbs."

Yogurt Parfait

1 Cup Plain NF Yogurt (might I recommend my absolute fave, Fage 0% Greek Yogurt=15g protein and oh, so creamy!)

1/2 C. Fresh Fruit of your choice, I like a sliced Banana!

Crushed Raw Nuts (I prefer Almonds)

Cinnamon

Splenda (or honey...you know the drill)

Mix Yogurt with honey or splenda until blended. Spoon half the mixture into small bowl, add half the sliced banana and a sprinkling of nuts and cinnamon, repeat. This can also be a between meal snackaroo.