A well-balanced breakfast is one easy habit that can help you start your day off right! Eating breakfast daily can improve your energy levels and make you more committed to eating better throughout the day. Here are some more reasons to give the breakfast habit a try:
- Your food choices won’t be clouded by hunger. Let’s face it: we’re all capable of making poor food choices when we’re hungry! It’s especially inconvenient if the only options nearby are calorie-rich, sugary or fatty snacks. Filling your stomach with a nutritious breakfast helps you walk past those temptations with ease.
- You’re less likely to overcompensate at other meals. Skipping breakfast can set you up for a big binge come lunchtime. It may seem contradictory, but eating breakfast may actually help you lose weight and keep it off. Studies of people who’ve lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for over a year show that 78 percent of them eat breakfast.
- You get good nutrition early. A lot of breakfast foods are packed with nutrients. Whole-grain waffles and breads offer fiber and B vitamins. Milk, yogurt and eggs offer calcium and protein. Fruit and veggies offer vitamins A and C and potassium. Even boxed sugary breakfast cereals come fortified with vitamins and minerals (even if they’re not the best choice).
For the next 10-days, we challenge you to kick each morning off with a nourishing meal! Pick the Challenge that works for you:
The Beginner Breakfast Challenge
This is for you if you often skip breakfast or don’t want to cook in the morning. Don’t worry! We’re going to make this challenge a no-brainer for you. You don’t have to cook breakfast, but you do need to grab a few of these items next time you’re at a grocery store:
- Whole grains: whole-wheat bread, whole-grain tortillas, granola
- Lean proteins: eggs (boil up a batch as soon as you get home), string cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, nut butter packets
- Fresh fruits: apples, bananas, berries, oranges
Your Challenge: Grab two items from the list above before you head out the door. Eat a healthy, no-cook breakfast for 10 days.
The Advanced Breakfast Challenge
This is for you if you eat breakfast somewhat regularly and you like to cook in the morning. Good job for not skipping breakfast! Let’s sharpen those breakfast-making (and eating) skills by giving you a few tasty recipes you can whip up in 20 minutes or less:
- Wake-Up Smoothie
- Bagel Gone Bananas
- Strawberry & Yogurt Parfait
- Basil & Tomato Frittata
- Baked Eggs with Spinach
Your Challenge: Cook and enjoy any of these recipes over the next 10 days. Bonus points for taking the challenge with a loved one!
Take the Better Breakfast Challenge this month and see if a nourishing morning meal can make a positive difference in your day. It might just be the start of a lifelong, healthy habit!
