Healthy breakfast recipes
A healthy breakfast is the best way to start the day
There's a good reason that breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. Eating a good meal first thing helps to rev up your metabolism, keep your weight in check and sets your energy levels for the whole day. In fact there are tons of studies backing up the health benefits of breakfast - here's just a few reasons why you should eat up to slim down!
Best grab-and-go
What: Homemade fruit smoothies or a medium-sized banana are great on-the-go fuelling foods.
Why: Making time for breakfast can be difficult; however, grabbing an often sugar-laden cereal bar on your way out won’t get you off to a good start as it will only result in a mid-morning energy crash. Pre-make a batch of homemade smoothies, pop in the freezer and defrost the night before. Blitz oats with plain yoghurt and a handful of frozen fruits for a delicious burst of energy, calcium and vitamins. Oatcakes and fresh fruits are also perfect on-the-go foods – ready to eat and easy to carry.
Why: Making time for breakfast can be difficult; however, grabbing an often sugar-laden cereal bar on your way out won’t get you off to a good start as it will only result in a mid-morning energy crash. Pre-make a batch of homemade smoothies, pop in the freezer and defrost the night before. Blitz oats with plain yoghurt and a handful of frozen fruits for a delicious burst of energy, calcium and vitamins. Oatcakes and fresh fruits are also perfect on-the-go foods – ready to eat and easy to carry.
Best fat burner
What: Egg-white omelette with grilled vegetables or porridge with dried fruits will help whittle your waistline.
Why: Egg whites are low in calories but high in protein making them a low-GI food. Low-GI foods have little effect on our blood glucose levels and therefore help keep hunger at bay and reduce the likelihood of mid-morning snacking on high fat foods. Vegetables are also low in fat and calories but high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, resulting in a breakfast that is nutrient rich but at the same time low fat. Add a little chilli powder for an early kick-start!
Why: Egg whites are low in calories but high in protein making them a low-GI food. Low-GI foods have little effect on our blood glucose levels and therefore help keep hunger at bay and reduce the likelihood of mid-morning snacking on high fat foods. Vegetables are also low in fat and calories but high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, resulting in a breakfast that is nutrient rich but at the same time low fat. Add a little chilli powder for an early kick-start!
Best post-party fix
What: Fresh fruit salad topped with plenty of seeds or a fresh juice made with lemon, ginger, dark green leafy veg, colourful fruit and a few drops of milk thistle tincture will fight fatigue and help beat that sluggish morning-after-the-night-before feeling.
Why: Fruit is packed with detoxifying vitamins and minerals and also contains high levels of fibre that help us to maintain a healthy gut and keep our bowels working smoothly. Dark green leafy veg also promotes liver health. Additionally, colourful fruit and veg contain antioxidants which protect body cells from free radical damage.
Why: Fruit is packed with detoxifying vitamins and minerals and also contains high levels of fibre that help us to maintain a healthy gut and keep our bowels working smoothly. Dark green leafy veg also promotes liver health. Additionally, colourful fruit and veg contain antioxidants which protect body cells from free radical damage.
Best mental booster
What: Scrambled egg, sardines or beans on wholegrain toast will help see you through a busy day.
Why: Eggs, sardines and beans all contain a wealth of vitamins and minerals such as zinc, vitamin E, iron and protein that are all essential for a healthy brain and are thought to improve thinking power and possibly memory. Sardines also contain essential omega-3-fatty acids which have been linked to intelligence and improved brain function – just the thing to get you through that all-important job interview or morning meeting. Additionally, wholegrain toast contains plenty of B vitamins that help to release energy slowly from food, thus keeping us mentally alert and ready to go all day long.
Why: Eggs, sardines and beans all contain a wealth of vitamins and minerals such as zinc, vitamin E, iron and protein that are all essential for a healthy brain and are thought to improve thinking power and possibly memory. Sardines also contain essential omega-3-fatty acids which have been linked to intelligence and improved brain function – just the thing to get you through that all-important job interview or morning meeting. Additionally, wholegrain toast contains plenty of B vitamins that help to release energy slowly from food, thus keeping us mentally alert and ready to go all day long.
Diet Plan: 500 calorie meals
Want to try the 5:2 diet? Follow our three-week plan to give it a go
Like the sound of intermittent fasting? The 5:2 diet is still going strong, as an increasing amount of research continues to suggest the easiest way to incorporate fasting into your lifestyle, and still gain health benefits, is to restrict your food intake to 500 calories (600 for men) two days a week. The question is - how far can 500 calories go? Quite a long way, actually. In fact, you can eat two delicious meals on a fasting day without feeling the slightest bit restricted. Sound good? Use the following meal plans to follow the diet for three weeks:
FAST DAY ONE
Breakfast: A tangerine. Porridge (40g oats) and blueberries (145g).
Dinner: Chicken stir-fry (one chicken fillet, handful sugar snap peas, 100g cabbage, 2 carrots, ginger, coriander, garlic, soy sauce)
FAST DAY TWO
Breakfast: Yoghurt (small pot natural fat-free), blueberries (70g) and ham (40g)
Dinner: Feta Niçoise salad (1 egg, handful lettuce, handful green beans, 100g chopped cucumber, 90g feta cheese, 6 black olives)
FAST DAY THREE
Breakfast: 1 Boiled egg and half a grapefruit
Dinner: Veggie chilli (1 large mushroom, half tin chopped tomatoes, half tin of kidney beans, garlic, half a chopped red chilli) with brown rice (80g cooked)
FAST DAY FOUR
Breakfast: Smoked salmon, a cracker and light cream cheese
Dinner: Thai prawn salad (handful of cooked prawns, grated cucumber and carrot, sesame seeds)
FAST DAY FIVE
Breakfast: Smoked salmon (50g) and 2 scrambled eggs
Dinner: Roasted vegetable salad (10 cherry tomatoes, ½ cougette, ½ aubergine, 1 red pepper. Two tangerines
FAST DAY SIX
Breakfast: Strawberry smoothie (1 banana 100g, pot fat-free natural yoghurt 150g, large handful strawberries 50g)
Dinner: Oven-baked smoked haddock (fillet smoked haddock (200g), 1 poached egg, 100g steamed broccoli)
Breakfast: A tangerine. Porridge (40g oats) and blueberries (145g).
Dinner: Chicken stir-fry (one chicken fillet, handful sugar snap peas, 100g cabbage, 2 carrots, ginger, coriander, garlic, soy sauce)
Breakfast: Yoghurt (small pot natural fat-free), blueberries (70g) and ham (40g)
Dinner: Feta Niçoise salad (1 egg, handful lettuce, handful green beans, 100g chopped cucumber, 90g feta cheese, 6 black olives)
Breakfast: 1 Boiled egg and half a grapefruit
Dinner: Veggie chilli (1 large mushroom, half tin chopped tomatoes, half tin of kidney beans, garlic, half a chopped red chilli) with brown rice (80g cooked)
Breakfast: Smoked salmon, a cracker and light cream cheese
Dinner: Thai prawn salad (handful of cooked prawns, grated cucumber and carrot, sesame seeds)
Breakfast: Smoked salmon (50g) and 2 scrambled eggs
Dinner: Roasted vegetable salad (10 cherry tomatoes, ½ cougette, ½ aubergine, 1 red pepper. Two tangerines
Breakfast: Strawberry smoothie (1 banana 100g, pot fat-free natural yoghurt 150g, large handful strawberries 50g)
Dinner: Oven-baked smoked haddock (fillet smoked haddock (200g), 1 poached egg, 100g steamed broccoli)
Rapid weight loss diet
Switch your body to fat burning mode
Want to increase your fat burning potential? Then it might be time for you to up the temperature. Thermogenesis is the process of heat production in the body, which speeds up your metabolism and helps you burn more calories. The easiest way to raise your body’s core temperature is by exercising, but you can also do it through diet.
Hot Stuff
Some foods raise your metabolism higher than others and therefore burn more calories. These include spices, protein, coconut oil and green tea. You can burn 40-100 extra calories a day by eating more of these foods. Good news if you’ve reached a plateau and want to lose extra pounds.
Protein has a greater thermic effect than fats and carbohydrates because it takes longer to digest, using more energy. It also has a satiating effect, so it will stave off hunger for longer. Spices such as black pepper and chilli are also effective. A Dutch study found that 10g of chilli per meal raises your body temperature straight after eating. The active compound capsaicin boosts metabolism, fat oxidation and may also reduce appetite. Black pepper contains piperine, a chemical that fires up your metabolism. It also increases the absorption of health-promoting nutrients passing through the lining of the gut.
Another study, published in the Journal of Obesity, reported that the caffeine and catechin antioxidants in green tea work together to blast fat cells. Swiss scientists found thermogenesis in rats was increased by as much as 77 per cent with a green tea supplement. To reap the benefits, aim to drink a cup of green tea every two hours.
Coconut oil stimulates your metabolism by up to five per cent, according to research published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Medium-chain fatty acids in the oil are converted to energy easier than long-chain fatty acids – which occur in 98 per cent of animal and plant fats – so are less likely to be deposited in fat cells. Try replacing your regular cooking oil with coconut oil for healthy stir-fries, but use it sparingly as its high in calories.
There are numerous thermogenic supplements on the market, but altering your diet is a safer and healthier way to promote fat burning. Exercise regularly, cut processed food from your diet, add some thermogenic foods and you’ll soon improve your metabolic rate.
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