Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Busy People on the GO!

By Michelle Hoeing Bauche, MS RDN LD CSOWN

 

We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but some people still manage to skip this morning meal. However, with our busy schedules, long commutes, and crazy work hours, we need to properly fuel our bodies to give us energy throughout the day. Traditional breakfast items like bagels, waffles, cereal, doughnut, muffins and pastries are unusually high in carbohydrates and added sugars.

 

While they may be easy to grab in a hurry, the composition of these foods tends to cause our blood sugar to rise and fall erratically after meals. The result is that you end up feeling hungry, tried, and craving more sugar. But skipping breakfast altogether also isn’t a great idea and can cause you to choose a more convenient, but unhealthy alternative.

 

So, what is a practical and healthy solution? One good breakfast option is egg muffins. They’re easy to make and have protein and other nutrients that you need in the mornings. To make egg muffins, you crack eggs into a large bowl, add whatever veggies, cheese, or meat mix-ins that you like, and evenly divide the mixture in a muffin tin. These can be baked in the oven and stored in the refrigerator until you need a delicious and healthy meal or snack.

 

Smoothies can also be a wise choice for breakfast, if you plan ahead. You can prepare individual smoothie packs ahead of time that you can store in the freezer and simply pull out when needed. Or you can consider blending them the night before to just grab and go in the morning.

 

Some examples of breakfast combinations that can be made at home or purchased while you’re already out include:

• Whole fruit + nut butter + cheese stick
• Hard boiled eggs + avocado + toast
• Plain Greek yogurt + fruit + nuts
• Cottage cheese + cherry tomatoes
• Egg + meat + English muffin

 

You should also consider rethinking your morning beverage choices, especially when it comes to specialty coffee drinks. By adding creamer, whipped toppings, and chocolate/caramel drizzles, the calorie and sugar content can add up quickly. Juice is also a form of liquid calories that tend to pass through the body quickly, making it easy to consume a large volume of calories and sugar without really satisfying hunger.