We’ve all heard it a million times before, but it’s worth saying one more time: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. No matter how many times people hear this truth, they seem to ignore it consistently. Breakfast really is important to your health and fitness goals, but so many people skip it on a regular basis. People just don’t seem to make good nutrition a priority first thing in the morning. There’s so much to do that people often rush out of the house without eating any kind of breakfast at all.

The Foundation of a Healthy Diet

If you want to eat healthier, you simply have to start off each day with a good, nutritious breakfast. The first things you eat set a precedent for the rest of your day. If you start your day by eating healthy breakfast foods, you’ll find that sticking to a healthy eating plan for the remainder of the day is a lot easier. If you begin your day by fueling your body with healthy breakfast foods, you’ll be establishing a foundation for good eating habits for your entire day.

Weight Loss and Breakfast

It’s no secret that Americans are getting fatter every year, and it may not be a coincidence that the country that skips eating a healthy breakfast the most is the country that seems to be leading the world in unhealthy weight gain. One reason why people who are trying to lose weight skip breakfast is that they think that depriving their bodies of calories will speed up weight loss. And breakfast seems to be the easiest meal to skip.

Extreme calorie deprivation is really the worst way to lose weight. People who want to lose weight in a healthy way are best served by eating healthy breakfast foods before they head out the door. When you wake up in the morning, your metabolism is sluggish. To get your metabolism into high gear it’s a good idea to start eating healthy breakfast foods. You won’t trick your metabolism for long. If you continue to skip breakfast and don’t eat healthy breakfast foods, you may soon find that you are actually gaining weight despite skipping an entire meal every day.

Balance Is Essential

To stay healthy, your body needs the right balance of nutrients. Healthy breakfast foods should be eaten in the right proportion in order to maintain the highest levels of health. Many people think that a breakfast of whole grain toast is a great, healthy way to start the day. While whole grain breads are very good for you, you will need to add other healthy breakfast foods to your diet to achieve the right balance. Consider adding some lean protein from egg whites and fruit to a simple breakfast of whole wheat toast to get a meal that tastes great and has the right balance of nutrients to start your day off right.

All your meals should include carbohydrates, preferably complex carbs, from whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and healthy, essential fats. Flax seed is one of the healthiest breakfast foods. It can be found at most supermarkets and it is a great addition to any diet since it’s loaded with healthy fats and fiber. You can put it on cereal or a whole grain muffin to boost the nutritional value of your breakfast. Sneaking in healthy breakfast foods like flax seed can be an easy way to make sure that you are getting all of the essential nutrients your body needs.

Everyday Healthy Breakfast Foods

Here are some common breakfast foods that you can eat to get that all-important first meal in your belly before you leave for work.

– Egg Whites

– Skim Milk

– Low-Fat Turkey Bacon

– Whole Grain Breads, Bagels or Muffins

– Fruits

– Natural Peanut Butter

– Turkey Sausage Links

– Protein Drinks

– High Fiber Cereals

Vegetables for Breakfast

Vegetables get skipped a lot at breakfast time. We all know that they’re good for us, but we forget about them at breakfast. Sure, a large salad first thing in the morning doesn’t sound too appetizing, but there are ways to get some vegetables in your system during breakfast. Try making egg white omelets with chopped peppers, mushrooms, and spinach. When you mix vegetables into an omelet, you get all the nutrients you need without having to choke down a salad at 6 in the morning.

Quick Fix Foods

If you don’t have time to sit down to a big breakfast every morning, that doesn’t mean you have to skip it altogether. Try preparing your meals the night before to have a healthy breakfast that you can pop in the microwave and eat on the go. You can also add in a protein drink to get a dose of muscle building protein in your system to start your day. Healthy breakfast foods can come in supplemental forms for people who need to eat fast.

Remember that breakfast is very important to your overall health and use these tips to eat healthy breakfast foods every day.