Tips for Building a Balanced Breakfast

Start Your Day off Right With a Balanced Breakfast

Get the nutrition you need to jumpstart your day and support your overall health. Follow these tips to help you to make your breakfast count.

Opt for Nutrient-Dense Foods

Nuts and Seeds

Studies have shown that people who eat nuts and seeds regularly live longer and lead healthier lives than those that don’t. This is because nuts and seeds provide a host of health benefits. Eating about 1 ounce of nuts daily helps to:

• Improve your cholesterol levels.
• Reduce blood clotting.
• Relax blood vessels.

Ways to add nuts and seed to your breakfast include:

• Add ground flaxseed and chia seeds to a smoothie
• Top oatmeal with walnuts or pecans
• Add almond butter or peanut butter to a slice of whole-grain toast

Yogurt

Some yogurts contain live, active bacteria cultures, as indicated on the label. These cultures, or probiotics, are considered good bacteria for the gut and can help maintain a healthy digestive system as well as reduce your risk for the following health conditions:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Obesity

Yogurt is rich in the following vitamins and nutrients:

• Protein
• Calcium
• Phosphorus
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin B12

Fruits and Vegetables

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to get essential nutrients in your breakfast without any added fats, sodium, or empty calories.

Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables are rich in the following vitamins and nutrients::

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Potassium
• Dietary fiber

Ways you can include fruits and vegetables in your morning routine are:

• Blend up a fruit and vegetable smoothie
• Add fresh or frozen spinach, peppers, tomatoes, and onions into scrambled eggs or omelets
• Fresh fruit salad
• Low sodium vegetable juice

Foods to Avoid

While there are plenty of healthy options for your breakfast, there are also others that you should try to avoid. Foods that are high in processed sugars, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats can actually leave you feeling sluggish throughout your day and can even have negative effects on your health over time. They can lead to higher cholesterol levels and unintended weight gain if eaten too often.

Although they may be tasty, leave these foods off your plate in the morning:

• Sugary cereals
• Pancakes and waffles
• Processed breakfast meats
• Fruit juices with added sugar
• Donuts and pastries

While these foods are fine to indulge in every now and then, they can do more harm than good if you eat like this every day.

Jackson Hole Nutrition Services

Diet and nutrition plays an important role in maintaining various areas of your health. Nutrition counseling at St. John’s Health is designed to help patients prevent, manage and treat various health conditions to support your body’s general health.

Ready to start eating better? Call 307.739.7634 to set up an appointment with one of our experienced nutritionists.