Submitted By: An eSvasa Reader
Photos Courtesy: Chef Inder Dev at Fortune Select Hotel, Sohna Road, Gurgaon

“Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper”, there is a lot of truth to this old English saying. Breakfast is not just a meal; it is a principal lifestyle choice of following a nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals and balancing calorie consumption for maintaining a healthy weight.

Breakfast means exactly what it says, Break (your) fast. You have just awoken from fasting as you were sleeping through the night for 8 or more hours, the longest period for which you have gone without food during the past 24 hours. Breakfast will be your first meal of the day. Your body needs it to top up its glucose levels. Glucose is vital for the brain, it is the main energy source for the body, and it also fuels the muscles for their physical activity through the day. Breakfast will rev up your body’s metabolism first thing in the morning.

When you skip breakfast and don’t eat anything in the morning, don’t be surprised if you experience a shorter attention span, fatigue, lethargy, lack of concentration, decreased productivity and irritability. They are the effects of low blood sugar levels.

Skipping breakfast can also prevent you from maintaining a healthy weight. When you feel hunger pangs a little later in the morning, beware, stay away from high-fat, high-sugar foods that provide an instant energy boost. Unfortunately, these foods not only cause unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels, but can only satisfy you for short periods of time – leading you to eat more and more of them, and gain weight.

Breakfast should actually contain one-third to one-half of the daily dietary needs of the body. A hearty, nutritious breakfast, can keep you full, give you greater control over your daily calorie intake, and help you eat less throughout the day. You have much greater control on the total number of calories consumed, and you remain in control over your weight.

Eating breakfast is important for everyone, but especially so for children and adolescents. Children who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom and on the playground, with better concentration, problem-solving skills, and eye-hand coordination. They have more strength and endurance to engage in physical activity.

Ingredients for a healthy breakfast

A nutritious breakfast contains whole grain or eggs for lean or low-fat proteins, cereals for complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables for vitamins, minerals and fibre, and a little healthy fat. Protein-rich foods are satiating. They promote appetite control by blunting your hunger, which prevents snacking and overeating. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and release glucose into your bloodstream more slowly and evenly; they provide a steady supply of energy for the morning. The fibre and the water help you feel full.

A meal packed with "brain foods", healthy nutrients such as protein, vitamin B, and omega-3, will aid concentration, memory, and brain development, and can lessen mood swings and boost energy levels, too.

You should avoid breakfast foods with high sugar content or a high glycemic index. They give you an instant energy boost but leave you un-satiated. Instead choose foods that have low glycemic index and release energy slowly, ensuring that you feel fuller for longer and don’t get an immediate slump. You should also avoid foods that contain trans fats, such as margarine, in favor of natural alternatives, butter, in measured quantities, or olive oil. You should avoid deep fried foods (medu vadas) and cut down on the oil used for shallow (tawa) fried rotis, parathas, uttapams and dosai.

Here are some breakfast suggestions, which may be adapted to your own personal tastes and likes

• Wholegrain or Oat-based cereal – Avoid cereals with added sugar. Choose ones with less than 3 gm. of sugar per 100 gm. Sprinkle on nuts and seeds.

• Natural unsweetened dahi - with seasonal fresh fruit, or dry fruit, wheat germ, desiccated coconut, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds and a dash of honey

• Eggs (for those who can eat them) boiled, poached or scrambled – on wholegrain toast and serve with fruit juice or fruit smoothie.

• Scrambled Tofu – tofu is good for those who cannot eat dairy or eggs. Stir-fry dry jeera, crushed ginger, minced garlic, diced onions, tomatoes and Simla mirch in oil, add a pinch of turmeric and stir in mashed tofu. Stir until the tofu is cooked through.

• Wholegrain toast – add baked beans, or scrambled eggs, or grilled tomatoes, or peanut butter and a thin film of jam

• Fruit smoothie – Blend milk, or dahi, or soy milk, banana, berries, and/or other seasonal fruits. This is easy-to-transport nutritious breakfast, which can help you meet the recommended daily intake for calcium and protein, fruit also supplies fiber and essential vitamins. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed for your Omega-3 needs.

• Wholegrain parathas made from Quinoa, Barley (Jau), Wheat (Gehun), Wheat Berries (Gehun Jamun), Bulgur Wheat, Couscous (Daliya), Millet (Ragi), Buckwheat (Kuttu ka atta), Add ground flaxseeds to the flour. Serve with chole or sabzi and fresh fruit.

• Brown rice pulao (50% rice, 50% vegetables – broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, peas, potatoes, soybean)

• Ragi idlis and dahi garnished with rye, neem, green chili, fresh ginger and urad daal tadka. Ragi has a lower glycemic index than polished rice.

• Moong Dal Dosa (called Pesarattu in Andhra Pradesh) with fresh ginger, onions and green chilis are richer in Protein and has a lower glycemic index than polished rice.

• Upma with plenty of chopped carrots, peas and potatoes is a traditional breakfast dish

• Caffeine should be limited as this triggers the release of the stress hormone adrenalin.

Be adventurous, be inventive and make your breakfast a fun meal!