Manage Your Weight with Breakfast

You’ve heard it before, but it is worth repeating: breakfast eaters are better able to keep their weight in check. Studies show that breakfast skippers make weight control more difficult because they tend to eat more at the next meal. So what can you do if you don’t have time to sit down to a traditional breakfast meal?

Here are some quick fixes for breakfast …

1. Cereal in a Glass. Blend blueberries (fresh or frozen), milk, and oatmeal (cooked or raw) to tote along in glass with a cover.
2. Dip it. Pre-wash a bunch of strawberries the night before and store in a baggie. Grab a cup of yogurt as you head out the door to use as a dip for the berries.
3. Leftovers. Turn dinners’ quesadilla into a breakfast treat. Use whole wheat tortillas, low-fat Swiss cheese and pears, thinly sliced. Just reheat in the morning.
4. Stuff it. Poach an egg and stuff into a pita pocket with lettuce and tomato slices.
5. Juice. Make a homemade green smoothie with spinach or kale in a blender. The Green Smoothie recipe below contains flaxseed and seaweed (both rich in omega 3 fatty acids) and spinach for a boost of beta carotene. This is an easy way to get the vegetables that you may overlook. Another unique ingredient in the recipe is quinoa, which is a complete protein. The goal is to get the benefit of the many vitamins and minerals that these ingredients contain.

If you start in the morning, you are more likely to get enough servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Combine fruits and vegetables with whole grains and a low-fat protein for a well-balanced breakfast. Besides weight maintenance, eating or drinking breakfast can improve short-term memory and productivity.

Recipe

Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 sheet seaweed
• 1 cup packed spinach
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup cooked quinoa

Put all ingredients in the blender and mix until smooth. Makes three 8-oz. servings.

Nutrition Information: 156 calories, 6.9 g protein, 3 g fat, 26.7 g carbohydrates, 3 mg cholesterol, 53 mg sodium, 3.2 g fiber, 7% vitamin A, 6% vitamin C, 16% calcium, 6% iron.

Lisa Bellini, M.S., R.D.
Nutrition and Wellness Program Manager
Safeway, Inc.