Harvard Says: 5 Things a Perfect Breakfast Should Have

Breakfast It's key to starting the day with energy , so it should include a balanced diet of all the nutrients the body needs. This improves physical and mental performance, our mood, productivity, and our ability to face daily challenges. Therefore, it's important to know which foods to include, and Harvard offers clear guidance on this.

Physician and researcher Monique Tello, quoted by the El Gourmet website, maintains that a perfect breakfast is based on consuming foods with a low glycemic index, rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, to provide sustained energy and avoid blood sugar spikes. Although breakfast isn't essential for everyone, as it depends on each person's lifestyle and activities, when it is consumed, it should be balanced and nutritious.

For this reason, Harvard recommends that a complete breakfast contain foods from the basic food groups:

1. Vegetables: fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, preferably whole and with skin.

2. Whole or unprocessed cereals and grains: oats, wheat, barley, quinoa, rye, amaranth, sugar-free muesli or whole-wheat bread.

3. Healthy proteins : fat-free eggs, low-fat dairy products such as yogurt or cheese, butter, legumes, lean meats or cold cuts with a high percentage of meat (cooked or roasted chicken or turkey breast).

4. Healthy fats: natural nuts and seeds without added sugar or salt, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, oily fish.

5. Probiotics and calcium : Natural yogurt provides these nutrients that promote digestive and bone health.

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If we are talking about examples, a practical way to incorporate these nutrients is by having breakfasts that contain:

▪️Yogurt with frozen fruit and nuts▪️Cottage cheese with papaya and blueberry▪️Overnight oats with red berries▪️Scrambled egg with spinach accompanied by whole wheat bread and avocado

▪️Chia pudding with mango and Greek yogurt.

Additionally, it is suggested to always have frozen fruits, seeds, whole grain cereals, oats, and mixed nuts at home to make preparing healthy breakfasts easier and encourage the habit.

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Foods you should never eat in the morning

Just as there are foods that are perfect for starting the day, there are those that can ruin it. Specialists recommend avoiding them and even reducing their intake throughout the week . Dietitian Mónica Acha explains what they are:

1. Simple and refined sugars: table sugar, store-bought jams, processed or boxed juices, sweetened yogurts, and sugary cereals with additives. These cause rapid increases in glucose and subsequent energy crashes.

2. Refined flours and white bread: White bread, bagels, cinnamon rolls, waffles, and products made with refined flours are low in fiber and increase chronic inflammation, in addition to causing rapid hunger after consumption.

3. Ultra-processed foods: sweet or savory cookies, cereal bars, industrial pastries, puddings, alfajores, and facturas contain trans fats, added sugars, and empty calories that affect cardiovascular health and weight control.

4. Fried foods: Fried foods and products made with poor-quality vegetable oils can cause a feeling of heaviness, fatigue, and raise bad cholesterol.