Photo by Dani Rendina via Unsplash

by carol evenson, guest contributor

Skipping breakfast can be far too easy for busy adults, especially parents who are focusing on getting kids up and ready to go in the morning. However, research points to the importance of eating a balanced breakfast containing 15-25% of your daily energy intake. Eating a nutritious breakfast supports overall wellness/healthy lifestyle. Breakfasts that make us feel good and don't drain on our precious time are trending like never before. Here are a few tips for getting that perfect breakfast every single morning.

Stay Stocked

One of the keys to fitting in a healthy breakfast every morning is, of course, simply staying stocked up on easy go-to breakfast basics. Kick the sugary cereals out. Here are some basic staples to keep in your kitchen to ensure healthy breakfasts:

• Whole Grains: Get a good loaf of whole grain bread. You can keep the loaf in the freezer and then just pop a piece in the toaster in the morning to defrost it or toast it. You can pre-cook whole grains such as wheat berries, quinoa, and even oatmeal so that you can easily heat up a serving in the morning and dress it with coconut oil, raw honey, nuts, or seeds.
• Proteins: The humble egg still makes the cut for breakfast, but consider keeping hard boiled eggs on hand in the fridge ready to peel and slice onto whole grain toast. Keep healthy nut butters on hand and a variety of low or no sugar whole food bars, such as a peanut butter snack bar. You can soak chia seeds in almond or soy milk overnight to make a very healthy and high energy breakfast pudding, just add fruit and maybe a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and it's ready to satisfy. Keep raw almonds soaking in a jar of fresh water in your fridge so you can easily pop the peel off and enjoy these in your oatmeal or quinoa, smoothie, or just on their own. Have milks like flax milk, soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk.
• Beneficial Fats: Besides cow milk butter, consider keeping things like coconut oil, sunflower oil, pumpkin seed oil, hemp oil, and flaxseed oil for a quick drizzle of beneficial fats on your toast, in your smoothie, or even on top of cooked whole grains.

• Fruits and Vegetables: Avocados are a great breakfast food and make an excellent topping for toast, an addition to a smoothie, or simply eat them on their own. Fresh or frozen berries can easily be added to oatmeal or quinoa, smoothies, or yogurt. You may not think of veggies for breakfast, but adding powdered greens, beet powder, and other whole food powders to cereal and smoothies is a great way to add extra vitamins and minerals to start your day. Fresh or frozen bananas make a great addition to smoothies, and can sweeten your breakfast without any other added sugar.
• Probiotics: Adding probiotics to your first meal will give your gut a boost for the rest of the day. Go for plain yogurt without any added sugars. It is much better to add your own fruit or favorite healthy sweetener such as monk fruit, maple syrup, or honey. If you're not a fan of yogurt, try kombucha or even a good probiotic tablet instead.

Basic Breakfasts

Endless variations can be created on these basic themes so that your healthy breakfast experience never reaches the point of boring repetition.

• Toast With the Most: Top whole grain toast with sliced hard boiled egg, avocado, a drizzle of healthy oils, nut butter, raw honey, frozen or fresh fruit, a smear of yogurt, powdered greens or beet powder.
• Grain Bowls: Cooked ahead, use quinoa, wheat berries, oats, or another favorite whole grain as a base. Then add a drizzle of oil, nuts, seeds, fruit, a dollop of yogurt, whole food powders, nut butters, and maybe a drizzle of honey or maple syrup as well.
• Bar Breakfast: If it's a bar day, you may be taking breakfast with you. Pack a bit of fresh fruit or half an avocado to have along with your bar and be sure to drink a little water or nut milk to help digest a nutrient dense bar.

• Smoothie: Blend frozen banana, nut or coconut milk, whole food powders, silken tofu, fresh or frozen fruit, raw soaked peeled almonds, nut butters, beneficial oils, and other favorites to make a delicious breakfast smoothie.
• Yogurt: Dress a bowl of yogurt with whole food powders, fresh or frozen fruit, drizzles of beneficial oil, nuts and seeds, raw oats, cooked whole grains, and honey or maple syrup if desired. This can be made the night before and taken with you in a to-go cup if needed.

Make breakfast your favorite meal of the day with these ideas for powerful whole foods to start your day off right and give your body clean fuel right up to lunchtime.

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