Choosing the right breakfast to kickstart your morning can be tricky—especially if you don’t know what healthy breakfast to reach for. And while it’s convenient to grab something on the go, or to even skip the meal altogether, these factors can be roadblocks to your goal of trying to slim down. Nevertheless, numerous dietitians say breakfast is a crucial meal for weight loss, so it’s important you try to add it into your day.
If you’re at a loss for what to make in the mornings, we spoke with members of our medical expert board, The Nutrition Twins, Tammy Lakatos Shames, RDN, CDN, CFT, and Lyssie Lakatos, RDN, CDN, CFT, to give us some healthy and nutritious options that will help get the ball rolling on your weight loss journey. Then, for more helpful tips, check out these 25 Healthy Breakfast Habits to Jumpstart Weight Loss.
Thanks to the Greek yogurt, eggs, and either low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta, this breakfast pulls out all the high-protein stops to jumpstart weight loss.
“Getting adequate protein helps to keep appetite in check by balancing hormones,” say The Nutrition Twins. “Whole-wheat flour and wild blueberries add fiber for even longer-lasting fulfillment.”
An added bonus is that the wild blueberries pack in antioxidants that play a crucial role in the battle against inflammation– something that makes weight loss harder, the Nutrition Twins point out.
In most cases, pancakes can contribute more calories than you need while eating both breakfast and lunch combined. However, these particular pancakes serve up the ideal macronutrients for weight loss full of satiating protein and fat.
Get our recipe for Protein-Packed Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
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This breakfast is key for keeping yourself full with few calories. A huge part of jumpstarting your weight loss is preventing hunger (and the overeating that comes with it) with minimal calories.
So, what is the “most satisfying weight loss breakfast?” It’s only 4 ingredients; cinnamon, berries, whole grains, and eggs!
“The combination of naturally sweet cinnamon, which has been shown to reduce body weight and belly fat, helping to prevent against obesity—[as well as] antioxidant-rich, low-calorie berries, which have been shown as a possible treatment for obesity-induced inflammation—provide sweetness without the need for inflammation-promoting sugar that makes weight loss more difficult,” say The Nutrition Twins.
Also featured in the breakfast are whole grains that satisfy carb cravings without overdoing it on calories, and protein-packed eggs that contribute to the satiety benefits.
A study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition even showed that when the subjects ate eggs for breakfast (versus equal-calorie breakfasts that contained either cereal or croissants), they ate fewer calories over the entire day. Plus, studies have found that breakfasts that include eggs may help control hunger for 24 hours.
Get the recipe from The Nutrition Twins.
Who said you couldn’t have “dessert” for breakfast? Any breakfast that is nourishing and healthy, yet feels like a decadent dessert, immediately has a leg up in the weight loss department. This sweet, creamy breakfast that feels like a treat won’t leave taste buds wandering. It also helps to prevent the deprivation that leads to falling off the healthy eating path.
“Yogurt consumption is associated with smaller waists, lower body weight, body fat, and body mass index,” say The Nutrition Twins. “Greek yogurt has extra protein for an additional satisfaction benefit.”
Additionally, with three different types of berries in this breakfast, it helps fight obesity since higher amounts of fruit have been found to reduce weight and promote a healthy lifestyle, including increasing physical activity and reducing the intake of sugar and fat.
Get our recipe for Healthy Yogurt Parfait With Fruit and Granola.
This recipe really helps execute the weight loss goal, as it’s the perfect recipe for those in a rush.
“Many weight-loss hopefuls get derailed when they’re in a hurry at breakfast and quickly choose a calorie-bomb, fatty, fast-food breakfast,” say The Nutrition Twins. “This throw-in-the-blender-and-go recipe has all the makings to set you up to start your weight loss day with success.”
The smoothie contains a high protein-to-calorie ratio, meaning it gives you a lot of satisfaction and fullness for a relatively small number of calories. It’s rich in water and potassium to help restore normal fluid balance and helps flush any bloat from excess salt or sugar.
The blueberries’ antioxidant cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G)–a phytochemical that has been shown to lessen appetite while enhancing fat metabolism–decreases hunger by increasing leptin, the hormone that helps to regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger. While doing so, it also increases adiponectin–a hormone your fat tissue releases that helps with insulin sensitivity and inflammation.
The Nutrition Twins also recommend adding a liberal amount of lemon because it contains potent polyphenols–micronutrients that naturally occur in plants–that may help to suppress body fat accumulation and prevent obesity.
Get the recipe from The Nutrition Twins.
Another great breakfast meal for weight loss, each serving calls for two full eggs, which rates very high on The Satiety Index List – a tool that ranks different foods on their ability to satisfy hunger.
“The less hungry you are, the less likely you’ll be to overeat, so it will be easier to lose weight,” say The Nutrition Twins.
They also point out that the amino acid, asparagine, in the asparagus acts as a natural diuretic—a water pill that will immediately help you to lose excess water weight and bloat.
Salmon is an omega-3 rich fatty fish that fights against obesity-promoting inflammation and may have additional weight loss and belly fat-busting benefits.
“Replace smoked salmon with fresh salmon to reduce carcinogens, as well as sodium, that can contribute to water weight gain,” say The Nutrition Twins.
Get our recipe for Healthy Scrambled Eggs With Salmon, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese.