Healthy breakfast

Breakfast is so called the most important meal of the day. Not everyone agrees with this statement, considering that the other meals are also very important for the body to function properly, but it’s worth explaining what a good breakfast should look like.

The satiety index

Most of all, we need to make sure that the breakfast is filling. Food products can be divided into those who give a long term feeling of satiety and those that satisfy the appetite for a short time. The satiety index can help with making the choice. The highest satiety index is are products such as oatmeal with milk, Gouda cheese and hard boiled eggs. Muesli with milk also has a high satiety index, but not as high as oatmeal. This means, that eating oatmeal for breakfast will fill us up for longer than eating muesli. Cornflakes with milk, which are chosen by many as the first meal of the day, have an even lower satiety index.

The glycaemic index

The satiety index is not the only way to choose products that will satisfy hunger for a long time. A few years ago the glycaemic index based diet became very popular, that is a ratio of glucose in blood after ingestion of certain food to the level of glucose in the blood glucose. This product can be pure glucose. The lower the glycaemic index (IG), the longer the satiety feeling. Whole wheat bread has lower IG than white bread or artificially coloured, which is why this type of bread is the best for breakfast. Usually oatmeal and roasted muesli has lower glycaemic index. It’s worth noting that IG of full fat milk is 27, but skimmed is 32. But directing yourself just with the glycaemic index would be wrong, which can be seen with a watermelon. Its IG is quite high, but this fruit contains a lot of water, so for the glucose concentration to increase, we need to eat a lot of it. It is therefore necessary to take other characteristics of the product into account.

Energy density

Another determinant which can be used to direct ourselves while making a meal is energy density, in other words, calories. With low calorie products you can eat a larger portion than with products with high calorie count. Two grapefruits have 240 calories, which is about the same as 40 grams of peanut butter, but they satisfy hunger much better than a salty snack.

Breakfast offers

There are a lot of ways to prepare a tasty and satiating, but also dietetic breakfast. It’s worth trying to make the meal with whole grain cereal, as well as a portion of fruits or vegetables. The ideal option is porridge with bits of fruit or wholemeal bread sandwiches with lettuce, tomato and cucumber. On chilly days it’s best to have a warm meal, especially if you’re prone to colds. Any type of cereal and oatmeal are good to be warmed up. Those, who have a bit more time to prepare breakfast can eat a dietetic omelette or a wholemeal pancake with fruit. It’s best to wash down breakfast with unsweetened tea or juice, preferably freshly squeezed. Coffee should be drunk after finishing the meal, but not before, on empty stomach. Of course, the chosen diet rules must still be followed. People who are using a diet that eliminates certain products cannot let allow themselves full freedom. Dukan diet is a good example, as in the first phase it eliminates all carbohydrate products, including whole grain bread. Active people can help themselves to a breakfast with rapidly digestible carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates replenish the energy, necessary for proper processing of muscle regeneration that occur during sleep. Protein is needed to avoid catabolic processes.

Information about long-term satiating products can be used while making other meals. Even the best breakfast is not going to give energy for a whole day, which is why it’s worth paying as much attention to every meal.