Choose whole grains, fruits, proteins for a good beginnning to the day

Vegetables, soy, fish, nuts — for breakfast? Yes, and much more! Why? Because it’s not what foods you eat for breakfast, but the nutrients in those foods that are important. After a night’s rest, the body has been without an energy source for eight to 12 hours. Breakfast is the first chance to refuel glucose levels that are essential for the brain and the body’s main energy source.
   
Food energy from breakfast begins fueling muscles for the physical activity of the day, helps give better concentration and problem-solving ability, may help improve memory and may speed up metabolic rate. In addition, recent research has shown that breakfast eaters are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome (central obesity, hypertension, high blood cholesterol and insulin resistance).
   
Evidence that shows the importance of breakfast for children has been building for decades. Several states have the Universal School Breakfast Program that provides free breakfast for students. It began in 1966 as the relationship between good nutrition and children’s ability to learn was recognized.
   
Studies conclude that students who eat school breakfast show a general increase in math and reading scores as well as improvements in speed and memory in cognitive tests. The students perform better on standardized tests. They eat more fruits, drink more milk and consume less saturated fat.
   
Schools that provide the universal school breakfast also report fewer discipline and psychological problems, fewer visits to school nurses, increases in student attentiveness and attendance and generally improved learning environments.
   
Other studies have shown that children who eat breakfast have higher overall nutrient intakes when compared with those who skip breakfast — in other words, the breakfast skippers do not make up for lost nutrients later in the day.
   
A school breakfast must include milk, a vegetable or fruit or 100 percent juice from either, two servings of bread or cereal and a 2-ounce serving of meat or other high protein food like peanut butter or eggs.
   
Research has shown that a breakfast of refined carbohydrates only lasts one to two hours. A mixed diet combining complex carbohydrates (dietary fiber) and protein provides a feeling of fullness and the energy needed throughout the morning.
   
Breakfast is especially important for those who exercise early. A light pre-exercise meal of something like an apple with peanut butter or a cup of low-fat yogurt with fresh strarwberries will provide the carbohydrates your body needs for the workout. Remember that a light post-exercise meal of complex carbohydrates and protein will help replenish and build muscles if eaten within about an hour after the workout. Since liquids also need replenishing, this is a good time to include at least a cup or two of low-fat or fat-free milk, milk smoothie or drinkable yogurt.
   
Whole grain products, dairy products and lean meat proteins or plant proteins correlate positively with the health benefits of breakfast. A perfect example is a bowl of whole grain cereal and low-fat or fat-free milk. Remember that all breakfast cereals are not created equal.
   
Label reading for hot or dry cereal is a must. Look for high-fiber cereals that list “whole” or “stone ground” wheat or oats as the first ingredient. Bran cereals or those with bran included are also excellent choices. Look for at least three grams of dietary fiber per serving, although some have up to 14.
   
Low-fat or fat-free yogurt combined with cottage or ricotta cheese also are excellent mediums for mixing up dry cereal. Oatmeal — not instant or quick — is one of the best ways to start the day. You may add fruit and nuts to increase the flavor and nutritional value. Slow cookers are a great way to cook hot breakfast cereals overnight and then  are ready to eat the next morning.
   
Breakfast means many things in other cultures. Americans can take examples of breakfast foods from other countries and incorporate them into their traditional breakfast routines.
   
In Eastern Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey and Africa, soups and porridges that contain meat, poultry, fish or soy plus vegetables, beans, rice or noodles may comprise breakfasts. 
   
In the Middle East, Greece and Turkey, yogurt, goat cheese, vegetables (sometimes a salad), nuts and seeds may be found at breakfast. In Northern Europe and Canada, cheeses, cold meats, sausages, vegetables, boiled eggs and hot cereals are common.
  
In addition, in most countries, various fruits and bread products are usually eaten, as well as variations of coffee and tea.
  
Some nontraditional foods might also be nutritious and delicious. Almost any kind of soup or stew you might eat for another meal is appropriate for breakfast.
   
In fact, leftovers of all kinds are quick and nutritious choices. Meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, brown rice or pasta from durum wheat (semolina) can be eaten as is or combined with eggs in different ways. Cheese, turkey products or soy products may also be added.
   
Leftover thin-crust pizza or casserole portions can make a quick, nutritious breakfast. Vegetable juices like tomato or home-juiced vegetables are a great way to get in several of the five–nine servings of fruits and vegetables recommended daily.
   
If you drink 100 percent fruit juice, breakfast is certainly the place for it. Remember that fruit sugars are absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream. If combined with a high fiber breakfast, the juice will be absorbed slower.
   
Basal metabolism is also higher in the morning and increases with exercise. Fruit smoothies with yogurt, milk or tofu or fruit soup — usually with yogurt — are also creative ways to add to the number of daily fruits and vegetables.
   
Fruit and vegetables may also be added to breads and quick breads made with whole-grain flour, whole-wheat pastry flour or nut flours like almond. Adding flaxseed to baked products adds to the nutritional value (omega-3 fatty acids, phytochemicals and dietary fiber) without changing taste or consistency.
   
For many Americans, the problem with breakfast is time — time to fix it and time to eat it. A slow cooker is a way to have hot foods ready first thing in the morning.
   
You may also put whole grain products like bagels, waffles, pancakes or quick breads on a plate and cover with plastic wrap the night before so they are ready to put into the microwave. Then top them with peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts or whatever else sounds good.
   
For more resources on a healthy breakfast, visit www.thealabamabaptist.org.