Is it Possible to Have Healthy Morning Snack and Meal Options?

With all of the different eating plans out there and products devoted to making you healthier than ever, you might be tempted to invest heavily in your health this time of year. But you really don’t have to do anything more than put a little bit more time and thought into how and what you eat and drink. Everything from how you take your coffee to when you take your first bite in the morning can make a bigger difference than you think.

Revamp Your Coffee Routine

That first cup of coffee may be just what you need to get off to a running start every morning, but you might want to take another look at how you approach coffee. Studies show that your body’s first response to caffeine hitting your system is to release insulin. This immediately causes your body’s blood sugar to go down rather than up. You can get around this by eating while you have your coffee. Something else that you might want to consider is what you put in your coffee. If you’re still using lots of sugar and artificial coffee creamers, you do have other options. Syrups made with natural ingredients but which are still low in sugar can completely transform your morning brew. Monin Flavoured Syrups offer an astonishing array of different tastes for any palate. If you still want to keep your coffee fairly plain but don’t like it black, consider using coconut cream rather than powdered coffee creamer.

Rethink Your Approach to Breakfast

If the information about insulin makes you want to embrace breakfast a little more regularly, you might want to rethink how you do breakfast. One of the reasons that people can tend to avoid eating that first meal of the day is that they’re not excited by breakfast foods. Cold or hot cereal may not be appealing and other traditional breakfast foods can feel like too much work.

Consider putting together something slightly different. A low-carb dinner option like a Cheesy Bacon and Chicken Casserole tastes great for dinner or as a leftover for lunch, but consider something different. Make a batch and put it in single- serving containers that you can quickly heat up in the morning. You’ve got a great low-carb breakfast that you can have with your coffee to get your day started on the right foot.

Snacks Can Be Healthy if You Plan Them

Snacks get a bad name mostly because they can tend to be full of calories and light on nutrition. But if you plan your snacks the same way that you plan your meals, you won’t be caught grabbing something unhealthy. Start out with Greek yogurt and start looking for add-ins that you can stir into it. A tablespoon of all-fruit preserves in a small amount of Greek yogurt gives you plenty of protein and carbs your body can use.

Other ideas for healthy snacks could include:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Hummus and carrots or celery
• Cheese sticks
• Trail mix
• Seeds and nuts
• Popcorn with sea salt

Pay Attention to What You’re Eating and When

Becoming more mindful about your morning food choices can also help you to make better choices. If you tend to wait until later in the morning to eat anything, it’s highly likely that you’re way too hungry by then to make good choices. You may also find that you eat way more than you were planning to eat. Both of these can create big problems for you.

Start using a meal tracker or just a plain piece of paper. Jot down what you’re eating, how much of it you’re eating, and what time it is. You might also want to include how you’re feeling before and after you eat. This might sound like a lot of work, but you can quickly start to see patterns that help you to understand what’s working for you and what isn’t.

You can definitely make small choices in the morning that help you to live a healthier lifestyle. It doesn’t have to take a lot of effort in order to get there.