It’s so important to make that first meal a healthy one – after all it’s ‘breaking the fast’ after 12 hours or so of not taking in any nourishment.

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This meal should be designed to get us moving, and keep us going through that early morning active period. At the same time, it needs to be interesting, flavoursome, quick, easy to prepare, and of course healthy.

This first meal revs up our metabolism after a night’s rest, keeps hunger at bay, makes for improved clarity of mind and cognitive thinking (necessary for school, work, and play!), boosts the immune system, and is proven to aid in weight loss.

What makes for a good breakfast?

As with any meal – a mix of good quality complex carb, protein, healthy fat – along with healthy colour (fruits, veggies of different class, texture, and type) and a little flavour for good measure (spice, herb, sweetener).

Some examples are:

IN A BOWL Museli / Porridge / Parfait / Congee
Complex Carb

BREAD-BASED (sweet) Pancakes / Waffle / Crepe

Complex Carb: whole wheat, rice, buckwheat (flour based)
Protein: nut butter, cream cheese,
Healthy Fat: coconut oil, almond flakes, sunflower seeds
Healthy Colour: banana, figs, orange slices
Flavour: 5 spice, vanilla extract, cocoa powder

BREAD-BASED (savory) Pita / Wrap / Toast / Bagel
Complex Carb: wholewheat, rice, buckwheat (flour-based)
Protein: salmon, sliced egg, goats cheese, hummus
Healthy Fat: butter, avocado, olive oil
Healthy Colour: spinach, sun-dried tomato, peppers
Flavour: balsamic, garlic, turmeric

EGG-BASED Boiled / Poached / Scrambled / Omelet
Complex Carb: whole wheat toast, potatoes (frittata)
Protein: smoked fish, feta cheese, eggs!
Healthy Fat: butter, avocado, olive oil
Healthy Colour: mushrooms, asparagus tomato
Flavour: paprika, garlic, fresh herbs

Then, using the same rule of thumb, there are homemade breads, muffins, smoothies, juices and more. The possibilities are endless!

Living in Asia, I’ve come to love savory dishes from around the world for breakfast. So often I will think of a cuisine or county, and go from there;

Chinese – congee, dim sum, dumplings
Japanese – miso, maki rolls, noodle dish
Indian – dahl, biryani, or mild curry dish
Vietnamese – pho (noodle broth dish), rice rolls

Really anything goes, so long as the ingredients are healthy and fresh. Like with many things, the work is in the creativity, and then a little bit of planning to follow. I hope the above helps getting your imagination working around the most important meal of your day!

Visit the Health & Vitality page to find out more about Liza's business.

_{This article was originally published on Health and Vitality blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.} 

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