Healthy Breakfasts for Your Busy Life

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But some mornings, you may find yourself overwhelmed, out of time and reaching for a breakfast bar while running out the door. Having a gourmet breakfast may not always be realistic during the workweek, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan ahead and enjoy a delicious, well-balanced meal.

Just like any other meal, a healthy breakfast ideally involves the trio of macronutrients: complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. Breakfast is also a great opportunity to consume at least one serving of fruits and one serving of vegetables right off the bat. See the chart below for examples of foods in each macronutrient category. Remember, some foods overlap into multiple categories!

Macronutrient Breakfast Examples
Complex Carbohydrates	Protein	Healthy Fats
100% Whole wheat breads	Egg whites or whole egg	Whole egg
Oatmeal — old fashioned or steel cut	Nuts or nut butters	Nuts or nut butters
Fruit	Dairy products — milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese	Dairy products — milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese
Vegetables	Turkey bacon, turkey sausage, lean ham	Avocado
Sprouted bread, Ezekiel bread	Salmon lox	Salmon lox, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, lean ham

Here are some simple examples of balanced breakfasts:

Whole wheat avocado toast with a fried egg
Steel cut oatmeal with peanut butter and blueberries
Kale and tomato eggs benedict on a whole wheat English muffin
Toasted Ezekiel bread with plain Greek yogurt and lox

For more breakfast inspiration, check out these recipes that you can either make ahead of time or whip up in five minutes or less. Breakfast win!

21 Jan 2021

About the author

Megan Petriello

Ms. Megan Petriello is an Assistant Vice President, Assistant Team Leader and a Fitness and Wellness Specialist on the Slainte Fitness team at USLI. Ms. Petriello enjoys staying active by teaching HIIT classes, running and strength training. Ms. Petriello gets the most enjoyment from living an active lifestyle, and she is an avid believer in the power of positive thinking!