Read about what is good to eat in the morning to gain a slim body and always look fresh and young. We have prepared food lists, as well as explanations of why there is no appetite after waking up. There are many people who do not pay enough attention to breakfast, snacking on a sausage sandwich and sweet coffee on the go. Lack of food after waking up is also not uncommon in the routine of busy people who, in the morning rush, do not find 15 minutes to prepare a healthy snack.
And we want to convince you that you should definitely eat at the beginning of the day. Without this meal, it is impossible to speed up your metabolism and say goodbye to excess weight. It also has a beneficial effect on appearance, well-being, performance and health.
Why do you need to have breakfast?
Breakfast is very important, especially for those who decide to lose weight. What should you eat and drink in the morning on an empty stomach to lose weight? There is no secret fat-burning ingredient. But healthy habits can speed up our metabolism and improve our health. What are the reasons not to skip this meal:
- Acceleration of metabolic processes - during sleep, no food enters the stomach for a long time, and long breaks slow down our body, and then it “does not want” to say goodbye to deposits.
- A morning meal can fix everything by setting the body at the right pace.
- Reducing the feeling of hunger throughout the next day - a nutritious breakfast will eliminate the risk of overeating during lunch and dinner.
- Energy - feel a surge of strength, act more actively, concentrate on current tasks.
- Ability to focus on important tasks.
- A consistently good mood depends not only on the fact that you have eaten, but also on filling your plate. If it is dominated by fast carbohydrates (sugar-containing foods, baked goods), then the likelihood of outbreaks of irritation or dissatisfaction increases.
What you can and should eat in the morning is carbohydrate foods, for example, porridge, unleavened wholemeal bread. Also, the morning menu can be supplemented with fruits, berries, vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, meat and dairy dishes are appropriate - the list is quite wide. The main task is to give the body energy and set it up for active work.
Our additional services: Bioimpedance | Marutaka Massage | Pressotherapy | Ion-Detox
Industrial confectionery products with excess refined sugar will interfere with this result. They provoke the release of insulin, which is the reason for the constant desire to snack. In such a situation, the hand itself reaches for harmful products all day long.
General recommendations
Adherents of proper nutrition know that it is necessary to eat breakfast. The night break between meals is 8-12 hours. Metabolic processes do not stop at this time, energy is spent on maintaining the functioning of all organs. After sleep, the body enters a stage of starvation, the level of catabolism increases, energy and nutrient reserves are at zero. A hearty breakfast of healthy foods neutralizes negative factors and helps cope with morning stress.
To get the maximum benefit from eating early, listen to the advice of nutritionists:
- Food should be easily digestible; overeating causes heaviness in the stomach and drowsiness.
- When choosing meals, take into account your lifestyle: carbohydrate foods are useful for people with mental work, and a protein breakfast will benefit those who work physically.
- Diversify the menu and select food for each morning depending on your taste preferences and mood. Don't try to cook complex dishes that take a lot of time. Morning is not the best time for exploits at the stove.
- Take your time, don’t eat dry and in a hurry. It's better to get up 15 minutes earlier than to get indigestion.
What is right and best to eat in the morning - the importance of breakfast
Although the morning is the safest time for sweets, since the calories received are consumed without being deposited on the waist and hips. But there is a caveat. If you can’t deny yourself a cupcake or chocolate chip cookie, that’s only half the problem. After all, you can safely eat 30 grams of dessert, effortlessly fitting into your daily caloric intake. But this act will not remain without consequences. When blood sugar levels rise sharply, a lot of insulin is produced - this hormone quickly delivers glucose to tissue cells. As soon as the work is finished, the body begins to demand dessert again - after half an hour you feel hungry. This means it will be difficult to stick to your diet.
You can eat sweets on an empty stomach, but remember that this is a risk. A small piece of cake can ruin your whole day, setting you up for the consumption of “goodies”.
You can protect yourself by giving up junk food. Instead of confectionery, eat fruits, dried fruits, honey, coconut pulp, do not get carried away with sweeteners - excess fructose also leads to the deposition of subcutaneous fat. Lean on foods with a low glycemic index.
Toasts
A healthy alternative to unhealthy sandwiches. The base is whole grain toast or bread, avocado and filling, based on your own preferences: lightly salted salmon; tuna; bacon; cheese; eggs; tomatoes; greenery. Experiment to your heart's content! One thing is obvious - breakfast will be rich for the body and pleasant to eat!
This is the kind of breakfast everyone will love
What is advisable to do before breakfast
What is healthy and what you should eat in the morning is a very important question, but we also need to talk about what you should drink. Fluid replenishment is an important process, so we solve several problems:
- setting up the gastrointestinal tract for proper functioning;
- speed up metabolism;
- we thin the blood.
The last point is especially important if you have a morning workout planned - you need to take care of your heart function. A glass of water will prevent the risks of unnecessary stress on this organ. It is recommended to have breakfast after completing exercise or jogging. To get enough energy for physical activity, it is better to drink water with honey in the morning on an empty stomach, and have a hearty meal after exercise.
What to drink after waking up
On the Internet you can find a lot of advice on what drinks to start the day with. But not all of these recommendations need to be followed; some of them can cause harm. It is necessary to warn that the tradition of drinking coffee, unfortunately, does not bring any benefits. The same should be said about fruit juices, especially industrially produced ones - they have no fiber and a lot of sugar, which means low nutritional value and high energy content. Fresh juices contain a lot of organic acids, so their presence in the diet should be treated with caution.
Nutritionist's comment:
Is it possible to drink olive/linseed oil on an empty stomach? This question is heard quite often, this is due to the widespread opinion about the benefits of consuming these products in this way. Indeed, they contain important components - unsaturated fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, which are involved in numerous biochemical processes. But they are added to porridge or vegetables, only in this case is it useful. Consuming oil on an empty stomach provokes a strong release of bile, which can cause the development or exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.
Is it possible to drink water with lemon on an empty stomach, yogurt, juice, coffee and which is better, what fruits to eat - these questions are important, the answers to them may be unexpected, because they depend on the state of your body. The best way to prepare the perfect breakfast is to consult with a specialist who will listen to you attentively. Some tips:
- It is not advisable to drink lemon juice, even in low concentration, in the morning if you have kidney problems or gastritis - this is due to the high acidity of the product;
- for the same reason, you should not lean on citrus fruits;
- the best start to the day would be a glass of clean, warm water;
- It is recommended to replace coffee with green or herbal tea;
- yogurt on an empty stomach will not be beneficial, since the bacteria it contains will die in the aggressive environment of the stomach.
Scrambled eggs in avocado
Continuing the marathon of egg dishes, we suggest preparing a simple and rather unusual breakfast. Avocado contains tyramine, an amino acid that will give the body an extra boost of energy.
Ingredients:
- ripe avocado - 1 pc.
- chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
- salt and pepper - to taste
Cooking method:
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Cut the avocado into 2 parts, remove the pit and 1 tsp. pulp from each half.
- Break 1 egg into both parts, salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the dish in the oven, and come back for breakfast in 15 minutes!
What should breakfast be like?
This meal is rightly considered the main one. Performance, emotional state, and determination to resist tasty temptations depend on it. You can determine for yourself what you need and eat better in the morning, focusing on your daily calorie intake and BJU balance.
It is important to remember that the calorie content of each meal should decrease as the evening approaches. That is, you should get the most nutrients at the beginning of the day.
Nutritionist's comment:
The optimal energy value of breakfast is 300-400 kcal. It should contain proteins, lipids, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, which take a long time to be processed by the body and provide a lot of energy. If you have no appetite in the morning, it is recommended to consult a doctor, since after a long break between meals it is physiological for us to feel hungry.
Eating in the morning does not cause appetite for several reasons:
Habit not formed
If you regularly eat at the same time, soon gastric juice will begin to secrete at this point, and you will feel natural hunger. Therefore, if you don’t feel like eating, just try to start doing it on a certain schedule - the situation will change.
Wrong mode
If you usually go to bed late and wake up after 10 o'clock, then in the morning hours the enzymes are inactive. Try changing things up by getting up earlier, this will allow you to enjoy your morning meal.
Gastrointestinal diseases
Lack of appetite in the morning, especially accompanied by nausea, is a common sign of problems with the digestive system. If you never feel like eating at the beginning of the day, this is a reason to consult a doctor.
Calorie distribution
Calculating KBZHU (calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates) begins with an assessment of individual characteristics and goals (stable weight, weight gain, weight loss). Important indicators for selecting food calories are gender, age, weight, height, and physical activity.
Then the calculation is made using the Harris-Benedict or Mifflin-San Jeor formula. These formulas calculate basal metabolism (the energy that the body spends on maintaining internal vital processes), and how many calories are needed for them every day. To avoid mistakes, they can be calculated online.
Harris-Benedict formula
For women: (447.593 + (9.247 × weight) + (3.098 × height) − (4.33 × age)) × physical activity level.
For men: (88.362 + (13.397 × weight) + (4.799 × height) − (5.677 × age)) × physical activity level.
Mifflin-San Geor Formula
For women: ((10 × weight) + (6.25 × height) − (5 × age) – 161) × physical activity level.
For men: (5 + (10 × weight) + (6.25 × height) − (5 × age)) × physical activity level.
The physical activity level coefficient can vary from 1.2 to 1.9, where 1.2 is no load, and 1.9 is professional sports activity.
The average recommended caloric intake for women is 2000 kcal per day, for men - 2500 kcal. But again, a more accurate figure depends on your height, weight and level of daily physical activity. For example, athletes require up to 3-4 thousand kcal per day.
In this case, the optimal distribution of caloric content of main meals is as follows: breakfast - 25-35%, lunch - 35-40%, dinner - 20-25%.
For those who have taken their weight seriously, nutritionists recommend writing down everything that was eaten during the day. It often happens that we do not notice the calorie content of the dishes that enter our body. For greater convenience, you can download one of the special applications (for example, Fatsecret) to your smartphone. Using it is quite simple: you enter the food you eat, and the application itself counts the calories.
Even a slight excess of daily caloric intake can lead to weight gain. For example, if you consume 200-300 kcal more every day, then in 1 month your scales may show a figure that is 2 kilograms more than your initial weight. That is why it is important to be able to control your appetite and adequately assess the size of the portions you eat.
Interesting fact: climate plays a big role in our need for energy and nutrients. Thus, residents of the north have a 10-15% higher energy need than residents of Central Russia. And people living in the southern part have 5% lower energy needs than residents of the central regions.
Proper distribution of calorie content and composition of food consumed makes you more active, productive, and efficient throughout the day. Also, due to a competent diet, timely restoration of spent energy reserves is ensured, and the organs of the digestive system function efficiently.
What are the best healthy foods to eat for breakfast?
Porridge is suitable, win-win options are buckwheat, rice, oatmeal. Cereals provide energy and are also characterized by high biological value - they contain B vitamins, micro- and macroelements (zinc, iodine, copper, phosphorus, iron and others). Buckwheat kernels also boast the presence of tocopherol and a large amount of vegetable protein. Also pay attention to the recently fashionable quinoa culture; it contains all the essential amino acids and has a nutty taste.
Those who want to get the maximum benefit are advised to pay attention to whole grain analogues. It is better to cook them in water, without adding sugar; they can be eaten on an empty stomach with banana, raisins, dried apricots and other natural sweets.
The morning menu should also be supplemented with proteins. Lean meats, cottage cheese, eggs, and yogurt are suitable. Proteins provide a feeling of fullness for a long time, protect against the temptation to snack on candy or pie. In addition, this nutrient is a building material for many tissues in the body.
Lipids should also be present in your plate, so you can add a slice of cheese or a little vegetable oil.
How to make a proper diet
A good help in this matter is the “plate rule”. It is as follows:
- 1/2 plates should consist of cold processed vegetables and salads;
- 1/4 should be the main protein product (fish, meat, poultry);
- the remaining 1/4 of it goes to the side dish.
This rule meets the body's nutritional needs, reduces the amount of fats and sugars consumed, and keeps you feeling full for a long time.
Breakfast options
If you find it difficult to figure out what and how much you can eat in the morning on an empty stomach, what to combine it with, eggs or chicken breast, or don’t know whether eating an apple is enough, then we will offer you several successful balanced combinations:
- Oatmeal with fresh berries or dried fruits, cocoa with milk and cereal cookies.
- An omelette with pieces of white poultry meat, a salad of cabbage, tomatoes and celery stalks, green tea, a handful of dried apricots.
- Freshly squeezed juice, sandwich made from whole grain bread and ricotta and avocado spread, muesli with yogurt and nuts.
- Smoothie with kiwi, banana, lemon juice and mint, boiled egg, coffee and a slice of dark chocolate.
- Buckwheat porridge with stewed turkey, cottage cheese with honey, drink to taste.
- Rice with baked vegetables and a piece of cheese, fresh juice from your favorite fruits.
- Bread with salmon, fresh cucumbers and herbs.
- A salad of bananas, apples and other fruits with yogurt dressing, you can add seeds (flax, sesame) and nuts for satiety.
- Breakfast during heavy workloads
Nutritionist's comment:
You should not allow long breaks between meals; it is recommended to eat at least 5 times a day. Despite the opinion that athletes have a special need for proteins, fats and carbohydrates should never be neglected. It is from these nutrients that the body draws energy. Before training (no later than an hour), you can eat a little, and the main meal is taken after the sports activity. Therefore, in the diet of athletes, as a rule, there are 2 breakfasts.
We remind you that you can eat in the morning on an empty stomach (after drinking water) - yogurt, juice, green or herbal tea. Fruits, which contain many antioxidants and macroelements, are of great importance; such products help to recover faster and maintain the correct water balance in the body. This list includes banana, citrus fruits, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple. In addition, eggs, fish from the salmon family, and nuts are appropriate in the diet - they give strength, allow you to increase muscle mass, have a beneficial effect on endurance, which means your workouts are more productive, and their results bring more joy and satisfaction.
Morning menu for athletes
People who do yoga, gymnastics or serious sports watch their diet and know what is best to eat for breakfast. The menu is planned in advance. The choice of ingredients is determined by body weight and degree of stress. Strength exercises require energy - I increase my carbohydrate intake. When building muscle mass, a protein diet is used.
- Protein-carbohydrate cocktail . Load 100 g of cottage cheese into a blender, 3 tbsp. l. flakes, a glass of curdled milk, beat until liquid consistency. Add banana, peach, 3 dates, beat for a minute.
- Steamed protein omelette. Pre-boiled turkey and green peas are placed in the thicket. Pour in the beaten egg mixture. Cook on the “Steam” program for 7 minutes.
- Dried salad . Chop lettuce, arugula, and Chinese cabbage. Add half an avocado, 50 g walnuts. Season with a mixture of vegetable oil and lemon juice.
What not to eat on an empty stomach
In order not to provoke irritation of the mucous membrane, it is recommended to avoid the following food and drink as the first meal:
- spicy and smoked;
- freshly squeezed juices and fruit drinks with high acidity; such drinks can not only negatively affect the walls of the digestive organs, but also provoke the production
- too many pancreatic enzymes;
- water with lemon or vinegar (especially in high concentration) is a bad start to the day if you are prone to heartburn or have a peptic ulcer;
- coffee is also a pronounced irritant, so it is better to drink the drink after a meal.
Also included in the list of what you should not eat on an empty stomach in the morning are sweets (chocolate, cakes, muffins and other “goodies”). This can trigger the “insulin cycle,” when the body fights a sharp increase in blood sugar. After its level decreases, you want to eat again - hunger comes within half an hour.
What happens if you don't have breakfast
In dietetics, as in other sciences, there are many controversial issues. But regarding breakfast, everyone has the same opinion - it is necessary. If you regularly skip your morning meal, you will save some time, of course, but you may encounter various difficulties:
- lethargy and unproductive activity;
- premature fading - the condition of the skin and hair is directly related to the quality and diet;
- tendency to be overweight - if you don’t eat in the morning, your metabolism slows down;
- headache and nausea - if you don’t drink or eat anything healthy in the morning on an empty stomach, your sugar level will not rise to the optimal level, which leads to poor health;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - this is due to the fact that at lunch and dinner the amount of food is very large, the stomach cannot cope with it;
- the risk of developing diabetes and pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
Look at our Clients' Acknowledgments and Success Stories - View
Learn to eat breakfast on time, plentifully and with pleasure - this will help you transform your body, improve your health and feel energetic. And a nutritionist from Elena Morozova’s weight loss clinic will help you form healthy eating habits. Take advantage of the specialist’s recommendations to not only improve your health and well-being in the morning, but also achieve the desired figure.