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Ideas for Quick & Healthy foods for breakfast with Nutrition's and Vitamins
from: GovidIn the mad morning rush have you wondered what an ideal breakfast should be? Mornings are always chaotic, with all of us on the go. In the midst of this hurry, we often ignore to pack in the most important meal of the day. It is believed that skipping breakfast adversely affects our brain and we might well end up ruining our day.
Why is breakfast essential? "The word breakfast is really two words, 'break' and 'fast'. The 6-8 hour sleep makes our system yearn for fuel (read food) to recover from the starvation episode. So skipping breakfast is an unhealthy practice.
An ideal breakfast must include —
• A source of complex carbohydrates
• Five grams of fibre
• Good quality protein
• A serving of calcium
Traditional Indian families have many options to break their fasts: A South Indian family may opt for idli or dosa, whereas a Punjabi family may include a paratha with a dollop of butter and a glass of lassi. A more health conscious group of people may settle for a bowl of fruits and a glass of skimmed milk. Whatever the options, breakfast is essential because it provides us with the basic nutrients and keeps us going through the day. Most breakfast options may be a combination of cereals, but their nutrition and energy value definitely differs.
Cereal, a bowl of fruits, toast and milk
Oats or wheat flakes would be the best option (not sugar coated cereals). Refined products like toast must be avoided. If you are having a good helping of the cereal you don't need toast. Cereals are a good source of complex carbohydrates, and vitamins of the B complex group like B1, B2, iron and insoluble fibre. Milk is ideal because it has a high biological value, protein and calcium. Fruits contain fibre (soluble and insoluble), antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Suggestion - Add five to six de-skinned almonds or walnuts for a power packed breakfast.
Egg and bread with a cup of coffee
Egg is an excellent source of protein and also provides Vitamin A, B2 and B12 (completely lacking in vegetarian food groups).
Bread — go for the whole wheat bread or in the absence of that, replace it with a multigrain roti.
Coffee — is actually a diuretic and the caffeine has a negative effect on calcium in the body. Avoid it.
Suggestion — A better option would be to have a glass of milkshake instead of coffee (to make this option more complete).
Idli, dosa, vada, uthappam with chutney and sambhar
A combination of cereal and pulse improves the quality of proteins. It provides mutual supplementation. It is a good source of vitamin B1, B2, folic acid, calcium, iron and fibre. A weight conscious person could go for a mint chutney because coconut is fattening. Sambhar is one of the best options.
Suggestion - Add sprouts to the sambhar to make it healthy. Dosa can be stuffed with vegetables. Uthappam can be topped with pizza toppings such as capsicum rings, tomato rings and cabbage.
Note— Not a good option for diabetics as fermentation increases the glycemic index.
Paratha and butter
Traditional Punjabi parathas smeared with ghee is a fatty option. Avoid using only wheat flour. A combination of flours such as bajra and nachni, stuffed with vegetables and soya granules increases the iron and protein content in the body. Substitute butter with curds to increase the calcium content.
A bowl of fruit and coffee/ tea
Fruits are a good source of cartenoids, vitamin C and fibre but this particular option lacks in proteins, calcium, iron and B complex vitamins.
Suggestion— Add a glass of milk which is rich in calcium and a cereal rich in protein
Bread, butter and jam/ cheese and a glass of juice
It is an empty calorie breakfast, sans nutrients other than calories. Bread is stripped of all nutrients that come from whole grains. There is hardly any fibre in this meal. Cheese is a good source of protein and calcium.
Suggestion — Opt for a whole wheat bread and low fat cheese. Try and avoid jam. A bowl of fruits can be added to the diet instead of a glass of juice.
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