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By now everybody who is anybody knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day as the saying "Breakfast Like a King" is been rubbed on your brain with every cereal box commercial. Usually the city goers breakfast like a pauper and eat dinner like a king unless of course you are one of those who take breakfast on the go over the subway or cab or bus or even your car. But why do you need this meal to be eaten like a king and more importantly what are the ingredients you ought to be taking in the healthiest breakfast? In this post we discuss the most essential nutrients of a breakfast and how every culture and cuisine can offer healthy breakfast.
The Perfect breakfast: No such thing as the perfect breakfast for all it really depends on your individual needs for nutrition. But having said that every breakfast must fulfill certain requisites of nutrients no matter what and that would be termed as perfect breakfast if at all that is what it is. The best breakfast is the one where you feel enriched, energized completely to survive you till pre lunch. It definitely must brighten your day as you step out into the world which means it should be delicious and yes healthy food can be as delicious as unhealthy food.
Top Breakfast Nutrients: #1 Protein - It ranks number uno for a simple reason that this nutrient is much needed for your body to rejuvenate, rebuild and carry on the entire day's activity based on the first shot of protein and amino acids it can get. Proteins also give the metabolism a good kick start and balance the insulin secretion and hence fat breakdown.
#2 Carbohydrates - If you think healthy food has low carbs, think again. The perfect balance of protein with complex and simple carbohydrates is what gives your breakfast its title "Perfect". Complex carbs with the fiber content are much needed to keep the satiety and offer long lasting supply of glucose to the body which helps curb the hunger pangs and also stops the ping pong insulin secretion. Simple carbs like fructose and lactose (if not intolerant) offer the instant sugar that is needed to break the fast from the previous dinner.
#3 Iron & Vitamin C - Well they go hand in hand as Vit C helps in the absorption of iron should there be equal amount of calcium in the meal. Iron is best absorbed during the morning time usually in the first meal and also utilized in the body effectively. The RBC's hemoglobin needs iron for the uptake of oxygen molecules and the less the absorption of iron the less the oxygen carried in the blood. Iron is also required for various other enzymes and other cellular functioning. Vitamin C on the other hand comes handy whenever you can take it as its the top antioxidant to combat the daily free radical stress. Vitamin C is also essential for our skin, nails and immune structure as without it things may fall apart.
#4 Essential Fats - Omega 3 & 6 of fats are the most essential to help us fight stress, build our immunity and basic cellular structure, give our skin, hair their health as well as regulate hormones and enzymes. The protective agents that they play for our pulmonary, neural and cardiac organs goes without saying.
#5 Zinc & Vitamin B - Vitamin B is the basic nutrient we need to kick start our day with energy boost as its the vitamin that is responsible for energy generation, metabolism, DNA synthesis and structure, protein synthesis, hemoglobin and iron uptake, neural activity and enzyme activity. Zinc on the other hand is the mineral present in most enzyme structures and/ or helps to activate an enzyme in certain cases. It is also a good antioxidant and helps the repair of skin, hair and damages within the body. Zinc has been proven to be one of the most important minerals in the body for this same reason.
Healthy Breakfast Ingredients: Now that we know about the nutrients we must have in our breakfast it is equally crucial to know the food that actually bears these top 5 nutrients. These could be found in all cuisines and cultures.
Protein - Chicken, Egg whites (hen/duck), soy bean, tofu, black beans, kidney beans, lentils, cottage cheese, yoghurt, tuna, turkey, skim milk, millets.
Complex Carbs - Whole wheat, oats, oat meal, corn meal, rye, ragi (Indian millet), bajra / jowar (Indian millet), red rice, unpolished rice, lentils, sweet potato, vegetables.
Simple Carbs - Fruits, avocado, skim dairy, honey, squash.
Iron - figs, egg yolk, lean poultry, watercress seeds, spinach, brussel sprout, rice flakes, raddish / coriander greens, parsley.
Vitamin C - Berries, oranges, avocado, sprouts, lime, lemon, pomegranate, red / black grapes, collard greens, brussel sprouts, raddish greens, kiwi, horse raddish.
Essential Fats - almonds, walnuts, olive oil, rice bran oil, coconut oil, sesame seeds, salmon, tuna, figs, avocado.
Zinc - Banana, sweet potato, almonds, walnuts, lean poultry, fish, eggs, milk, sesame seeds, oats, fruits.
Vitamin B - unpolished rice, whole wheat, soy, oats, rye, bran, corn, fish, millets, egg yolk, skim milk.
Now that you know what ingredients you should be looking out for breakfast and how important are these ingredients especially to kick start your day and your metabolism, hopefully you will be eating breakfast like a king and not a pauper.
The Perfect breakfast: No such thing as the perfect breakfast for all it really depends on your individual needs for nutrition. But having said that every breakfast must fulfill certain requisites of nutrients no matter what and that would be termed as perfect breakfast if at all that is what it is. The best breakfast is the one where you feel enriched, energized completely to survive you till pre lunch. It definitely must brighten your day as you step out into the world which means it should be delicious and yes healthy food can be as delicious as unhealthy food.
Top Breakfast Nutrients: #1 Protein - It ranks number uno for a simple reason that this nutrient is much needed for your body to rejuvenate, rebuild and carry on the entire day's activity based on the first shot of protein and amino acids it can get. Proteins also give the metabolism a good kick start and balance the insulin secretion and hence fat breakdown.
#2 Carbohydrates - If you think healthy food has low carbs, think again. The perfect balance of protein with complex and simple carbohydrates is what gives your breakfast its title "Perfect". Complex carbs with the fiber content are much needed to keep the satiety and offer long lasting supply of glucose to the body which helps curb the hunger pangs and also stops the ping pong insulin secretion. Simple carbs like fructose and lactose (if not intolerant) offer the instant sugar that is needed to break the fast from the previous dinner.
#3 Iron & Vitamin C - Well they go hand in hand as Vit C helps in the absorption of iron should there be equal amount of calcium in the meal. Iron is best absorbed during the morning time usually in the first meal and also utilized in the body effectively. The RBC's hemoglobin needs iron for the uptake of oxygen molecules and the less the absorption of iron the less the oxygen carried in the blood. Iron is also required for various other enzymes and other cellular functioning. Vitamin C on the other hand comes handy whenever you can take it as its the top antioxidant to combat the daily free radical stress. Vitamin C is also essential for our skin, nails and immune structure as without it things may fall apart.
#4 Essential Fats - Omega 3 & 6 of fats are the most essential to help us fight stress, build our immunity and basic cellular structure, give our skin, hair their health as well as regulate hormones and enzymes. The protective agents that they play for our pulmonary, neural and cardiac organs goes without saying.
#5 Zinc & Vitamin B - Vitamin B is the basic nutrient we need to kick start our day with energy boost as its the vitamin that is responsible for energy generation, metabolism, DNA synthesis and structure, protein synthesis, hemoglobin and iron uptake, neural activity and enzyme activity. Zinc on the other hand is the mineral present in most enzyme structures and/ or helps to activate an enzyme in certain cases. It is also a good antioxidant and helps the repair of skin, hair and damages within the body. Zinc has been proven to be one of the most important minerals in the body for this same reason.
Healthy Breakfast Ingredients: Now that we know about the nutrients we must have in our breakfast it is equally crucial to know the food that actually bears these top 5 nutrients. These could be found in all cuisines and cultures.
Protein - Chicken, Egg whites (hen/duck), soy bean, tofu, black beans, kidney beans, lentils, cottage cheese, yoghurt, tuna, turkey, skim milk, millets.
Complex Carbs - Whole wheat, oats, oat meal, corn meal, rye, ragi (Indian millet), bajra / jowar (Indian millet), red rice, unpolished rice, lentils, sweet potato, vegetables.
Simple Carbs - Fruits, avocado, skim dairy, honey, squash.
Iron - figs, egg yolk, lean poultry, watercress seeds, spinach, brussel sprout, rice flakes, raddish / coriander greens, parsley.
Vitamin C - Berries, oranges, avocado, sprouts, lime, lemon, pomegranate, red / black grapes, collard greens, brussel sprouts, raddish greens, kiwi, horse raddish.
Essential Fats - almonds, walnuts, olive oil, rice bran oil, coconut oil, sesame seeds, salmon, tuna, figs, avocado.
Zinc - Banana, sweet potato, almonds, walnuts, lean poultry, fish, eggs, milk, sesame seeds, oats, fruits.
Vitamin B - unpolished rice, whole wheat, soy, oats, rye, bran, corn, fish, millets, egg yolk, skim milk.
Now that you know what ingredients you should be looking out for breakfast and how important are these ingredients especially to kick start your day and your metabolism, hopefully you will be eating breakfast like a king and not a pauper.
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