For some it is a sacred ritual, for others it is absolutely unnecessary: breakfast. Do you sometimes skip your first meal of the day or do you fast and only eat at lunchtime? Maybe it's time to rethink your routines. Because: A healthy breakfast lets you start the day full of energy.
Discover good reasons for the first meal of the day here and find out what a balanced breakfast consists of. We also give you lots of inspiration for delicious and easy vegan recipes.
Is breakfast even healthy?
To have breakfast or not – that is probably the most discussed question when it comes to a healthy morning routine.
While we grew up with wisdom like “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” today intermittent fasting is increasingly coming to the fore, in which breakfast usually takes place late or not at all. The study situation on the topic is not clear. What is certain is that women react differently to intermittent fasting than men: mood swings and cycle disorders can result from too long a time window between meals. That's why a maximum fasting period of 13 hours is recommended for women. The German Nutrition Society also advises pregnant women, diabetics and breastfeeding women to eat breakfast no later than two hours after getting up.
As always, there is no recipe that offers the optimal solution for everyone. Whether you want to eat in the morning or not should be based primarily on your feeling of hunger. If, with the best will in the world, you can't eat a bite, you shouldn't force yourself to do so. If, on the other hand, you tend to get into a bad mood quickly or you already know that the time until the next meal with a marathon meeting is too long, you should definitely eat a healthy breakfast - or at least keep yourself afloat with morning snacks.
But no matter whether you prepare your first meal of the day at 8 a.m. or at 1 p.m. in the afternoon, it should be healthy and provide your body with all the important nutrients it needs.
What makes a healthy breakfast?
A healthy breakfast forms the foundation for a varied diet throughout the day. The special thing about the first meal is that you can take precautions with it: If lunch and dinner aren't quite as healthy, you've still had a balanced breakfast. In addition, a healthy meal lets you start the day in a good mood and with a good feeling.
For your balanced breakfast, you can use the foods from the vegan food pyramid as a guide. Make sure to choose natural foods that are not processed. Your body can digest these more easily than processed foods with lots of additives. This way you can make it through the morning without cravings before a delicious lunch awaits you.
Also, vary your breakfast as often as possible and try not to always rely on the same ingredients.
This is a healthy breakfast.
Fluid: Even while you sleep, your body needs fluid. There is therefore a particular need for fluids in the morning. Reach for water, unsweetened tea, home-pressed juices or smoothies – ideally before your first meal. Can't do without your morning caffeine kick? Then coffee, black tea or matcha are recommended in moderation.
Carbohydrates: For an energetic start to the day, you should integrate complex carbohydrates into your first meal. Grains, fruits, vegetables, oatmeal or whole grain bread not only provide fiber, vitamins and minerals, they also keep you full for a long time. Another plus: Complex carbs provide you with energy, but are gentle on blood sugar levels and, unlike simple carbohydrates such as refined sugar, do not cause them to skyrocket. This way you can make it through the morning without cravings before a delicious lunch awaits you.
Protein: High-quality plant-based protein sources are an essential part of a healthy breakfast table, after all, the body needs proteins as building blocks for organs and muscles. Does a vegan, protein-rich breakfast seem impossible at first glance? Oatmeal, nuts and nut butter, plant-based drinks, plant-based yogurt, hummus or soy yogurt are perfect as a source of protein and are the ideal ingredients for many breakfast dishes.
Vitamins and minerals: With just a few small changes, you can easily incorporate fruit and vegetables into your breakfast and make the first meal of the day not only healthier, but also tastier. For example, you can incorporate fruit into almost any sweet breakfast in muesli, pancakes, as a puree, as a topping, or in smoothies. Vegetables are a bit more difficult. Or are they? Chocolate porridge with zucchini , cauliflower in an ocean smoothie bowl , or pancakes with pumpkin secretly conjure up an extra portion of vegetables in your breakfast, even if you don't really feel like it in the morning. Fruit and vegetables can also be enjoyed wonderfully in juices and smoothies - you can easily smuggle antioxidants into your breakfast with açaí berries .
Do you prefer a hearty breakfast anyway? Then turn your sandwich or tofu scramble with tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, etc. into a hearty, healthy breakfast!
You should avoid these products.
Packaged mueslis, well-known nut nougat creams and fruit juices often contain too much sugar and empty carbohydrates. This causes your blood sugar level to rise rapidly – and then fall just as quickly afterwards. The result: Shortly after breakfast, your hunger returns, you long for the next sweet snack and eat yourself from one unhealthy meal to the next.
-
Sugared muesli : Oatmeal with fresh fruit and crunchy nuts is a very healthy breakfast. However, if you choose pre-packaged versions, perhaps even refined with chocolate chips or sugared dried fruit, the muesli quickly becomes a sugar trap. Cornflakes and other cereals often contain a lot of sugar. Better: a handful of crunchy granola over porridge, smoothie bowls, etc. as a topping. The crunchy muesli made from ancient grains and without refined sugar satisfies your craving for something sweet, provides the necessary bite and still makes a balanced and delicious meal.
-
Conventional hazelnut nougat spreads : with a low nut content, palm oil and lots of sugar, the chocolate spreads of our childhood are unfortunately neither a balanced breakfast nor environmentally friendly. Hazelnut spreads without refined sugar are a great alternative if you don't want to do without your beloved chocolate spread.
-
Packaged fruit juices: Instead of whole fruits, concentrates and hidden sugars are often used in supposedly healthy orange juice. It's better to squeeze the juice yourself or alternatively use unsweetened fruit teas.
Oops - your kids are only satisfied with the foods mentioned above as their first meal of the day? A healthy breakfast for children can be a big challenge. Our recipe ideas and tips will help you to provide your children with important nutrients for the day without losing the fun of healthy eating.
The best foods for a healthy breakfast
1. Oatmeal: The filling all-rounder
Whether porridge, pancakes, muesli or breakfast cookies – a healthy breakfast with oatmeal provides complex carbohydrates, vegetable protein, fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, iron and zinc.
2. Nuts: The better crunch
Nuts provide a certain crunch - or processed as a puree for the irresistible creaminess - and on top of that they provide fatty acids such as omega-3, which the body cannot produce itself. Walnuts are particularly rich in valuable fats.
3. Vegetables: The healthy extra.
With vegetables you enrich your breakfast with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants such as beta-carotene. Fresh leaf spinach in a smoothie, pumpkin in a porridge or cauliflower in a smoothie bowl: it's very easy - and delicious! - to sneak a portion of vegetables into your breakfast.
4. Whole grain bread: The hearty filler
Bread made from whole grains is packed with fiber that keeps you full for a long time. Whole grain bread also contains good carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein. Top your bread with avocado, vegetable spreads, hummus, fresh vegetables or sprouts.
5. Fruits: The sweet vitamin bombs
No breakfast without fruit! Not only do they make breakfast fresh, they also add color to the plate and the bowl. But more importantly, fruits are packed with various vitamins that the body needs. Perfect as a basic ingredient for a smoothie, bowl topping or on toast.
6. Plant-based yogurt: The creamy one.
Yogurt alternatives made from soy, coconut or almond are wonderfully creamy and easier to digest than their counterparts made from cow's milk. A dollop in the porridge or smoothie bowl creates a very special creaminess. But plant-based yogurt is also ideal on its own with muesli and lots of fruits. Alternatives made from soy or lupine also provide an extra portion of protein. Make sure that the yogurt is unsweetened and add some date syrup or other sweetening alternative if necessary.
7. Flaxseeds: The good fats.
The small flax seeds may look unspectacular, but they are full of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for the health of the cardiovascular system and also have an antioxidant effect. You can stir the seeds into porridge or use them as a topping over bowls or spreads. Important: Use ground flax seeds as the body cannot properly absorb the healthy substances from the whole seeds.
9 breakfast recipes for a healthy start to the day
Now it's getting colorful! Here are nine recipes for a healthy start to the day – have fun trying them out.
-
Classic açaí smoothie bowl with banana and granola
Açaí is not celebrated as a superfood for nothing: the small berries from Brazil are full of vitamins and antioxidants. Packed in the classic Açaí bowl, we can easily spoon the purple berry for breakfast. A topping of crunchy granola, peanut butter, banana and fruity strawberries makes the bowl perfect.
-
Chocolate Porridge Recipe with Zucchini
Is there a better way to eat vegetables than in a creamy chocolate porridge? This vegan chocolate porridge with zucchini shows how it's done: you won't taste the zucchini, but you get an extra portion of vegetables and additional nutrients like calcium and magnesium. The icing on the cake: the zucchini makes your chocolate porridge even creamier!
-
Gluten-free millet porridge with strawberry-rhubarb compote
Similar to oats, millet is also an ideal choice for the first meal of the day: the grains are chock-full of good carbohydrates and fiber. The day can only start well with millet porridge with a topping of fruity strawberry and rhubarb compote.
-
Tropical Flaxseed Pudding
Flaxseeds sound boring? Nonsense - you just have to know how to prepare the healthy seeds properly! Our tropical flaxseed pudding tastes of summer, sun and fruit and also provides fiber, protein, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids. Topped with the fresh tropical smoothie bowl, dried mango and cashew nuts, your healthy breakfast will be even better. A great alternative to chia pudding!
-
Bounty Porridge with Coconut
If you think of Bounty as an unhealthy chocolate bar, you're wrong: Our version also tastes deliciously of coconut and chocolate, but it's healthy! How does it work? Take sprouted chocolate porridge and top it with coconut butter and lots of coconut flakes. The advantage of Bounty porridge with coconut : It's easy to digest and the nutrients in the grain can be better absorbed by the body through the sprouting process. Holiday feeling included.
-
Granola bowl with baked fruit
Quickly served, fresh and healthy: This is the granola bowl with baked fruit . The highlight is the fruit baked in cinnamon and vanilla, which makes the recipe a real treat for the soul. Of course, a handful of crispy granola made from ancient grains is a must - high in fiber and particularly crunchy. Enjoy!
-
Fluffy Porridge Pancakes
Pancakes don't have to be made of wheat flour and sugar - there are much, much better options. We present: Pancakes made from sprouted super porridge . Thanks to the grain mixture and linseed in the dough, the pancakes are a really good choice for your healthy breakfast: easily digestible carbohydrates and lots of fiber let you start the day full of energy and full.
-
Bread roll with pea spread
Get your daily portion of vegetables easily with a homemade spread made from green peas ! The green cream not only adds color to your bread, but also provides plenty of plant-based protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Topped with sprouts and fresh cucumber slices, it's an absolute favorite for a healthy breakfast with bread .
-
Baked apple Mylkrice with cinnamon and almonds
Do you prefer a warm breakfast in the morning? Then try a casserole. Instead of oatmeal, you can also use rice pudding - in combination with apple, cinnamon and almonds, the baked apple Mylkrice is simply unbeatable. A healthy and wholesome breakfast that you will look forward to the evening before.
Healthy Breakfast for the Busy
Are you a morning grouch and can't even think about making the most of your limited time in the morning with a relaxed breakfast? Then a healthy breakfast to go could be the solution for you. This way you can make all the preparations the evening before and enjoy your healthy breakfast in a relaxed manner in the office, at university or on the train. You can't prepare quickly enough? Then these recipes for a quick, healthy breakfast are your salvation.
Better breakfast with superfoods
Whether it's açaí, cocoa, hemp seeds or linseed: you can easily incorporate superfoods into your breakfast in no time at all. Season your breakfast porridge with turmeric, cinnamon or cocoa and top it with hemp seeds or chia seeds, mix avocado into your shake or top your bread with the green superfruit. Add two or three drops of açaí to your smoothie or smoothie bowl and voila, your breakfast is enriched with superfoods. Inspo tip: next time, soak your overnight oats in açai juice - an absolutely healthy superfood breakfast.
Leave a comment