How to Make Healthier Breakfast at Home
Making breakfast at home is the first step to eating healthier for most families. By skipping take-out or fast food, hundreds of calories can be saved for just one meal. However, if you’re not careful, it can be easy to make even a simple breakfast unhealthier than you might think. To avoid this while still having a delicious meal in the morning, use the tips below when making breakfast at home.
- Add Egg Whites
While eating only egg whites is a great way to cut calories, it’s not your only option for a tasty breakfast. Instead, try mixing egg whites with whole eggs to cut calories while adding volume to your scrambled eggs. Kids won’t notice this change if they’re used to whole eggs in their breakfast.
- Wrap It Up
Instead of high-calorie toast with butter served with breakfast, you can try putting eggs in a low-carb wrap. These are just as tasty as regular tortillas so that nobody will notice the difference. They’re also very low in calories while being high in fiber, so they are suitable for everyone in the family to start their day.
- Try Different Pancake Mixes
There are more pancake mixes on the market than ever before, so now is the time to try and find what your family likes the best. From high protein to gluten free, you can find exactly what you want to try that will provide your family with a healthy breakfast option. However, keep in mind that most gluten free pancake mix contains almonds and coconut. If anyone has an allergy or dietary restriction, it’s essential to read the ingredient list closely.
- Add in Vegetables
Breakfast is a great time to add plants and produce to your breakfast meal, so you begin the day with fiber and vitamins. One of the easiest ways to do this is by adding chopped spinach to scrambled eggs, which is virtually tasteless. If you have kids who won’t go for this, try pureeing the spinach and adding it to pancake or waffle mix. You can also add it to a healthy smoothie with frozen fruit and Greek yogurt.
Quick Suggestion: Grilled onions, peppers, and zucchini taste great with eggs or potatoes on your breakfast plate. These can easily be made ahead of time, so you don’t end up spending all morning making breakfast.
- Avoid Frying
Frying potatoes, bacon, or even eggs in oil can add hundreds of calories to your plate. You can avoid this by using your oven or air fryer with a small amount of spray-on olive oil. You’ll end up with a nice crunch like you want, so you won’t have to sacrifice taste to have something healthy. Cooking bacon in the oven is another great way to avoid frying while enjoying something you like for breakfast.
- Serve Whole Fruit
While serving juice in the morning can be tempting, this is generally packed full of sugar that can spike your blood sugar. Instead, try drinking water or coffee and serving whole fruit packed full of fiber for something sweet. You can add something extra to your favorite fruit by drizzling honey or peanut butter over the top of it.
- Avoid “Quick” Grains
While instant oatmeal isn’t necessarily unhealthy, it’s not the best choice for breakfast. If you’re crunched for time but still want to serve grains, try making overnight oats the evening before. This can be quickly done by mixing 1/2 cup of your choice of milk with 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 cup of yogurt, and one teaspoon of chia seeds. Simply stir together, refrigerate overnight, and then serve with a tablespoon of your choice nut butter and some fresh fruit.
A Better Breakfast
What healthy breakfast are you looking forward to? With the options above, everyone in your family can start the day with more nutrients and fewer calories. Fortunately, making these changes is easy and can leave you full until lunchtime.