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Healthy Breakfast Tips
Healthy Breakfast Tips
You ve probably heard people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the
day. Eating a nutritious breakfast can help to reduce your risk of coronary heart
disease (CHD) and diabetes. It also contributes to a healthier diet overall by adding
important vitamins and minerals, such as thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, magnesium
and iron. However, about 23% of adults and 10% of children skip breakfast, so miss
out on this nutritional advantage.
To help you start your day right, we have developed some easy ideas for healthier
breakfasts for home, work and meetings. We ve even included some recipes to get
you started!
National Health and Medical Research Council. Dietary guidelines for Australian adults. Canberra:
National Health and Medical Research Council, 2003. Available at:
www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/n33.pdf. Last accessed 24 December 2010.
Cereal
Serve layered wholegrain cereal, reduced, low or no fat yoghurt and fresh fruit
pieces in a bowl or drinking glass.
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Serve wholegrain cereal with slices of fresh seasonal fruit or fruit canned
in natural or unsweetened juice.
Cook porridge with a touch of cinnamon and add stewed fruits, such as apple,
quince or rhubarb.
Fruit
Serve fresh fruit salad in a tall glass and top with reduced, low or no fat fruit
yoghurt and crunchy untoasted muesli.
Try half a grapefruit with a light sprinkle of sugar.
Milk
Make a smoothie using reduced, low or no fat milk and yoghurt, fresh or frozen
fruit, ground flaxseeds and a touch of raw cocoa powder* and cinnamon.
Raw cocoa powder is high in antioxidants and is found in health food stores.
Breakfast at work
Keep wholegrain cereal, wholegrain bread and reduced, low or no fat milk at work.
Try instant oat sachets and cook in the microwave. Add fruit, such as banana,
sultanas or grated apple, nuts or seeds for variety.
Keep tubs or cans of fruit at your desk to eat by themselves or add to cereal.
Choose varieties in natural or unsweetened juice.
Create a small snack pack of mixed dried fruit and plain unsalted nuts and seeds.
Look for cereal bars with the Heart Foundation Tick.
If you are having trouble bringing in suitable breakfast foods from home, walk to
your local supermarket at lunchtime and buy some breakfast foods. Walking and
carrying groceries is a good way to get some physical activity in your day.
Breakfast meetings
Serve a fruit platter of fresh seasonal fruits in bite-sized pieces.
Put glasses half-filled with plain reduced, low or no fat yoghurt next to dishes
of fruit salad and muesli so guests can serve themselves.
Offer guests savoury or fruit mini muffins. Ask your caterer to make them using
olive or canola oil, or with margarine instead of butter, and 50% wholemeal flour
or added bran. Large muffins can be cut into halves or quarters.
Frittatas can be eaten at breakfast warm or cold. Choose one filled with
vegetables.
Make turkey stacks by putting a cube of lean turkey meat, a cherry tomato and
a cube of reduced fat cheese on a toothpick. Serve with a thick slice of rye bread
or wholegrain rolls.
Serve fresh rye bread or wholegrain rolls with a platter of lean roast meats
and slices of tomato and reduced fat cheddar cheese.
Offer guests individual containers of wholegrain cereals and reduced, low
or no fat milk.
Serve pikelets with 100% fruit spread and reduced, low or no fat yoghurt or ricotta.
For busy sit-down meetings, start the morning by serving everyone a fruit
smoothie in a tall glass with a straw.
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Healthier choices
Nutritional value
Handy tips
Bread and
bread rolls
Wholegrain, wholemeal
multigrain, added fibre, soy
and linseed, high-fibre white,
focaccia, Lebanese, pita, pocket,
mountain and fruit or raisin loaf,
bagels, baps, wholemeal
crumpets, hot cross buns
Wholegrain or wholemeal
breads are more nutritious
because they contain all
of the natural parts of the
cereal grain, including the
bran and germ
Cereal
High-fibre, wholegrain,
wholemeal flake or puffed
cereals, porridge (rolled oats),
wholewheat breakfast biscuits,
untoasted muesli
Margarine
Source of vitamins A,
D and E, and essential
fatty acids
Use margarine or
margarine spreads
instead of butter
Muffins
English-style, wholegrain or
spicy fruit
Commercial cake-style
muffins may be higher in
energy and contain little
dietary fibre
Savoury
crispbreads
Wholemeal varieties of
crispbreads, crackerbread,
rice crackers and rice cakes
Pikelets and
scones
Contains carbohydrate
and dietary fibre
Fruit
Drinks
Milk
Yoghurt
Contains protein,
riboflavin and calcium