Having a good healthy breakfast is an important part of being healthy. Making a healthy start to the morning set’s you up for the rest of the day and can boost your energy levels.  But many people either;

• choose to eat breakfasts that are high in sugar

• eat breakfasts that are high in salt and saturated fat

• or skip breakfast altogether

Eating breakfast gives you the energy you need to start the day. And the right breakfast can keep you full until lunchtime, meaning you cut down on unhealthy snacking.

In an interview with the BBC, Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said that:

“Breakfast is the easiest meal of the day to get right. Skipping it risks snacking on something unhealthy later on and that it can be a struggle to get the right balance of nutrients without starting the day well. It’s an easy meal to get a healthy meal, it’s an easy meal to get control over. Overall we’re not getting enough fibre in our diet and it’s easy to incorporate fibre into breakfast.”

We’ve come up with a couple of ideas for how you could get more healthy, hearty breakfast full of nutrients and fibre. By changing just a few eating habits you can make a big difference to your diet.

Making small changes to your diet is the healthiest and most achievable way to lose weight. So here are some healthy swaps you could make to start a change.

Swap Sugary Cereals for Porridge

Breakfast cereals are one of the most popular choices for breakfast because they are quick and
easy. However, many cereals have extremely high levels of added sugar and other additives. Many have a high glycemic index, which lead to spikes in sugar highs early in the morning  – and big slumps by mid morning – causing you to crave more sugar and eat unneccessarily. Even a lot of the supposed healthy options have a lot of added sugars.

A great alternative to cereal is that old Scottish staple – Porridge! Porridge has many health benefits. It’s high fibre content can help fill you up and prevent overeating later in the day. Fibre also helps keep the blood sugar levels at an even keel. The recommended daily amount of fibre for men is 30 grams and 20 grams for women. Porridge contains around 5 grams – so add berries and seeds to top up the fibre content. It has a high level of health promoting nutrients such as iron, phosphorous, calcium and vitamin A.

Porridge also contains complex carbs which are digested at a slower pace, which will give you lasting energy, unlike the simple carbs found in sugary cereals.

Swap Fry-ups for a Mexican Breakfast

The traditional fry up is high saturated fat, high salt, high calorie, high carbs. A typical breakfast can contain over a third of your entire daily recommended calorie intake and over 2 times your entire daily fat intake!

For a tasty alternative try this healthy version of the traditional mexican breakfast ‘Huevoes Rancheros’, which contains;

Eggs – Protein along with essential vitamins such as Vitamin D, zinc, iron and copper

Pinto Beans – High in vitamins, minerals and protein

Avocado – High in Omega 3 fatty acids along with fibre and key vitamins. Studies have suggested eating avocado’s can lower cholestorol levels.

Tomato – Great source of fibre, vitamins and minerals

Whole Wheat Tortilla – Lighter alternative to bread

Find the recipe here: http://www.popsugar.com/latina/Healthy-Huevos-Rancheros-Recipe-38043864

Swap Processed Fruit Yoghurts for Natural Yoghurt with Fruit

Processed fruit yoghurts have a high sugar content. For example Muller ‘Light’ contains almost15% of the RDA of sugar. A great swap is to buy natural greek yoghurt, which is high in protein, and add fresh, fibre full fruit such as berries, banana, apple or peach – adding a bit of natural sweetness. You could also add a bit of sugar free granola for an added crunch.

Coffee

Swapping a latte (or even worse – a caramel latte!) for a black coffee with no sugar can cut extra calories and sugar out your diet –  and have added health benefits. Black coffee can give you that extra boost to productivity at work in the morning but more importantly has been linked to a lower risk of diabetes, liver and heart disease, as well promoting tooth and gum health.