You don’t need to empty out your pantry and refrigerator to eat healthy. Start the day right by making these small — but powerful — changes to your morning meals.
13 Easy Low-Calorie Breakfast Swaps That Will Make You Feel Healthier Instantly
Switch things up with your morning routine and try enjoying your eggs hard-boiled instead of fried. Cutting out the oil or butter used for frying the eggs can save about 100 calories, making hard-boiled — or poached — eggs a healthier alternative, packed with protein and metabolism-revving choline. Choose free-range eggs, which are higher in beta carotene and vitamins A and E and lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than conventional eggs.
There’s no denying that a nice stack of pancakes is a yummy morning treat. But they can be packed with calories — and sweet toppings can bust any diet. Try making your next batch of flapjacks with a whole-grain mix and swap the sugary maple syrup and fat-dense butter for a healthier mix of Greek yogurt, nuts and berries. Cutting your portion size from three pancakes to two can also lop about 100 calories from the meal.
In case you haven’t heard, celery juice is all the rage these days. Touted by Anthony William — a New York Times best-selling author and originator of the celery juice movement — for its presumed health benefits, celery juice is said to lower inflammation, help weight loss and reduce bloating, lower blood pressure, fight infection and clear up skin disorders including acne, eczema and psoriasis. While fruit juices may seem healthy, they are often filled with unnecessary sugar. William suggests sipping celery juice on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, for the best results.
Skip the glass of OJ and reach for a nice fresh orange in the morning. It takes about two to four oranges to make a single eight-ounce glass of the fruit juice, which can pack as many as 150 calories and up to 30 grams of sugar. Practice mindful eating by peeling and eating the orange slowly and get your daily dose of vitamin C with just 40 or so calories.
Skip the hash browns as a side for your egg dish and opt for a portion of steamed greens like spinach. While hash browns are certainly delicious, they can have over 9 grams of fat per 1⁄2-cup serving and over 20 grams of carbohydrates. A better option is cooked spinach, which is full of vitamins A and E, protein, fiber, zinc, calcium and iron, as well as carotenoids, including beta-carotene and lutein. Popeye would be proud.
If you just can’t part with your morning omelet, try swapping out high-calorie and cholesterol-packed ingredients like ham and cheese for healthy, omega-3-rich avocado — which will save you 65 calories and 5 grams of fat per ounce. Omelets are also a great way to get in some veggies, such as spinach, kale, mushrooms and peppers, which are full of fiber that will keep you feeling satisfied for longer — and less likely to reach for that midmorning snack.
While it’s convenient to grab a smoothie from a local spot, smoothie bars often include ice cream, flavored yogurts and sugar-laden add-ins (yes, that includes fruit) in their drinks. Instead, make a healthy version at home with unsweetened nut milk or low-fat dairy and lots of nutrient-rich veggies. An easy recipe? One cup fresh fruit, a handful of green, leafy vegetables (kale, spinach or celery work great), a tablespoon of almond butter — a good fat —and a cup of almond milk or Greek yogurt. Nutritious and delicious.
Start your day with a boost of protein instead of a dose of sugar and processed carbs. While banana bread is not the absolute worst baked good to eat, one slice can have up to 200 calories and is often loaded with sugar. A better choice is a ripe banana topped with a tablespoon of unsweetened peanut butter; the nut butter is packed with protein to give you extra energy, and the banana is rich in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure and preserve bone density.
Cereal is an easy, convenient and no-fuss morning meal. Just make sure you’re getting vitamins and nutrients by ditching corn flakes — or even worse, sugary varieties — and fill- ing your bowl with fiber-rich cereal instead. Just one cup provides about a quarter of your daily fiber needs to help normalize bowel movements, maintain blood-sugar levels and lower cholesterol. Sprinkle on some berries for extra fiber and add low-fat milk or plain yogurt to increase the protein.
Those fruit-flavored yogurts might appear to be a healthy morning meal, but many are loaded with sugar — sometimes as much as a candy bar! Sub in plain yogurt to slash the sugar and avoid that dreaded midmorning crash. For extra flavor, top with fresh berries, cinnamon or a few drops of flavored stevia, an all-natural sweetener available at the grocery store in varieties such as dark chocolate, french vanilla and caramel.
Sure, those Cinnabon rolls smell delish, but they are also slathered with a sugary topping and absolutely packed with calories (880 in one roll!) Get your morning sweet fix by toasting a couple of slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin sprouted bread — or another whole-wheat raisin variety — and topping it with a dollop of cream cheese and a sprinkle of cinnamon, for a 230-calorie breakfast. This swap will save you a whopping 650 calories.
Butter isn’t better when it comes to preparing morning toast, thanks to its high fat and calorie content. Switch to an all-fruit jam for a flavor that is delicious and better for your heart health — the fat and cholesterol in butter can increase the risk of heart disease — but just as satisfying. Opt for jams and jellies that have no added sugar, high fructose corn syrup or other sneaky sweeteners.
If you like having a breakfast meat in the morning, try switching from pork bacon to turkey bacon. While the amount of protein and calories is comparable, turkey bacon has significantly less fat than its pork counterpart. Pork is higher in saturated fat, a contributing factor to heart disease. Opt for low-sodium turkey bacon: Just six ounces of the regular variety has more 2,000 than milligrams of sodium, more than the American Heart Association’s recommended daily salt intake of 1,500 milligrams.
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