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Vicki Shanta Retelny, RDN, is a lifestyle nutrition expert, author, speaker, culinary consultant, and founder of the blog Simple Cravings. Real Food.
You wake up from your overnight slumber and the hunger pangs hit. Breakfast is calling your name—and it’s a must to appease your appetite and fuel you up for the next several hours, right?
If you're trying to lose weight, breakfast is all the more important. It's a healthy lifestyle habit that has been shown to help people shed pounds while also preventing weight gain over the long haul. How? By kicking off your metabolism with good fuel. Your body will thank you for it later.
The key to weight loss—at breakfast, or any other meal of the day—is keeping an eye on calories and playing a bit with your portions of carbs, protein, and fat. Ideally, breakfast should be about 300 to 400 calories and a bit lighter on carbs (think: less than 50 grams).
Why so low in carbs? Because, while carbs are great for supplying energy, in my nutrition practice, I find that most women consume far more than they need for breakfast. The result: blood sugar and insulin highs, rollercoaster energy levels, and mood swings. Think about how you felt the last time you ate a sugary bowl of cereal? Exactly.
That's why I urge women to not only pull back slightly on the carbs at breakfast, but to chose good quality, fiber-filled whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and pulses (AKA beans, chickpeas, and lentils) for their carbs. That will help give your body an energizing boost without setting you up for a blood-sugar crash 30 minutes later. And, by including good-for-you protein and fat in your morning mix, you trigger satiety, slow digestion, and level out your blood sugar even more. That way, you stay fueled and energized straight through until lunch.
Here, five of my favorite low-carb breakfasts. They are super simple to whip up and will start your day on the path to healthy weight loss.
MORE: 7 Delicious Breakfast Casseroles You Can Whip Up ASAP
Makes 6 servings (1 cup each)
Ingredients
1/2 cup raw whole oats
6 cups plain Greek-style yogurt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, washed and dried
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 sprigs fresh mint, washed and dried
Directions
Toast the oats in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown. In each of 6 fluted glasses, place 1/3 cup of plain yogurt. Add 1 tablespoon of blueberries, 1 tablespoon of oats, and a drizzle of honey. Repeat until each glass is filled to the top. Top each glass with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 205 (From Fat 39); Fat: 4 g (Saturated 3 g): Cholesterol: 15 mg; Sodium: 172 mg; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 14 g
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Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
2 eggs, cracked and whisked
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 Tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated
1 large whole-grain wrap
2 small tomatoes, diced
Directions
Crack eggs into a small bowl and whisk until well-blended. Set aside. On the stovetop over medium heat, in a small omelette pan, add olive oil, red onion, and garlic, sauté for a few minutes. Pour in the eggs, add the paprika and cheese. Allow to cook for a minute. Using a spatula, loosen the edges until the center solidifies and flip one side over the other. Cook for another minute and slide omelet from the pan onto a bed of arugula on a whole-grain wrap. Top with tomatoes. Fold wrap over omelette and cut in half, if desired.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 556, Total Fat: 36 g, Saturated Fat: 11 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 452 mg, Sodium: 569 mg, Carbohydrates 34 g, Dietary Fiber: 26 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein 25 g
MORE: 7 Ways To Cook Eggs, Ranked In Order Of Weight-Loss Effectiveness
Makes 3 servings (2 muffins each)
Ingredients
6 large whole eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of salt and black pepper
4 large basil leaves, julienned
1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 avocado, sliced
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk eggs in a small bowl with cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour into muffin pan, filling each one almost to the top. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and remove when muffins are browned and cooked through. The eggs will rise in the tins as they bake. Turn them out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cook for a minute. Place on a plate and top each one with a tomato slice, bits of basil, and a slice of avocado. If desired, add a dash of grated cheese on top.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 251, Total Fat: 17.4 g, Saturated Fat: 6.5 g, Cholesterol: 385 mg, Sodium: 320 mg, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g, Protein: 19.7 g
Check out these 11 delicious ways to eat an avocado:
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Makes 3 servings
Ingredients
1 can or pouch white albacore tuna fish (in water), drained
6 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 slice red onions, minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon vinegar
1 dash black pepper
3 whole-grain 6-inch tortillas
Directions
In a small bowl toss together tuna, tomatoes, onions, rosemary and olives. For dressing, mix together oil, vinegar, mustard, and black pepper. Drizzle onto tuna mixture and mix. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the tuna mixture into each tortilla, fold into a burrito.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 268, Total Fat: 13 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 28 mg, Sodium: 537 mg, Carbohydrates: 19 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 16 g
MORE: 35 Yummy Nutritionist-Approved Ways to Eat Canned Tuna
Makes 6 servings (1/6 of the round each)
Ingredients
2 cups roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1 large garlic clove, diced
1 small shallot, sliced
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinch salt and pepper
1 pat butter
5 large eggs, whisked
6 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
1/4 cup parmesan cheese shavings
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut potatoes into bite-sized chunks, toss with garlic, shallots, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Place in an oven-safe baking dish. Roast for 45 minutes and check. If potatoes are still hard in center, put back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Check potatoes; when flesh is soft and potatoes are golden brown, remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes. In a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, add butter and melt, add roasted potatoes to sauté for a few minutes, pour in eggs and allow to cover the whole round of the skillet. Sprinkle the thyme, salt, and pepper over the mixture and allow it to set. Turn the heat to low and cover. The eggs will rise a bit as they cook. With a spatula, loosen the sides of the eggs from the skillet and work it toward the middle to stop it from sticking (and to check the browning of the bottom). Sprinkle on the cheese and cover again. Allow the center to solidify and quickly remove from heat. Using a spatula, gently outline the sides and work toward the middle. It should loosen easily; lay it on a serving plate. Serve immediately while warm. Dip each forkful in a dollop of Dijon mustard, if desired.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 104, Total Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 5 mg, Sodium: 129 mg, Carbohydrates: 11 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 6 g
The article 5 Low-Carb Breakfasts That Will Help You Lose Weight originally appeared on Women’s Health.
From: Women's Health US
