The ideal breakfast

Variety is the magic word 

Lack of time, bad habits, and loneliness at the breakfast table — these are just a few of the culprits behind skipping the most important meal of the day. Yet breakfast is the first meal of the day and should provide the necessary energy and vitamins to tackle a busy schedule. 

The fact that young people rarely eat breakfast is already a concern. On weekdays, breakfast is often associated with stress: parents are nervous, the bus or car is ready to leave, and so on. The habit of having breakfast or making time for it depends largely on family routines or individual character. 

Eating a healthy breakfast is an even bigger step. Organizing a successful — and healthy — breakfast actually starts the day before. Ask yourself: What would make me happy tomorrow morning? What would make me want to get up on time?These are the kinds of questions we should ask ourselves. It’s best to ensure that the ingredients for the ultimate breakfast are already available. That way, you can prepare a few things before going to bed, saving both time and ensuring quality. To eat healthily, you also need to eat calmly. Social contact usually makes this moment more pleasant. Better organization only leads to more “quality time.” 

So how can we make breakfast healthier? Variety is the magic word. But really variety — not chocolate spread one day and a chocolate bar the next. A proper breakfast starts with good whole grain bread or cereals. But we should also dare to experiment, for example with vegetables. Vegetable and fruit juices combined with cold milk or raw vegetable sticks. A piece of ripe fruit or a fruit salad should also be a regular feature. For those feeling even more creative, fruit and vegetable marmalades with little or no added sugar, paired with a pot of low-fat yogurt, can be great options. 

A tasty vegetable salad, a miso soup with herbs or some grilled vegetables can certainly make breakfast more colorful. The toppings we use on our bread can be healthier too: dare to try a légumaise or a healthy vegetable tapenade as a spread. These come in so many flavors that they give the meal a new twist every time. Mayonnaise-based salads, however, are not exactly a shining example of a healthy start. 

By eating a more balanced and varied breakfast — with vegetables and fruit — you’ll already be getting a healthy dose of what your body needs for the day. The importance of healthy nutrition starts in the morning, just after or even while waking up. Ps. Anyone who has the chance to follow the We’re Smart series - full of tips - every weekend starting in September on Plattelands TV will get answers to many questions — all about how to easily increase your percentage of vegetables and fruit in a delicious way. You can also find plenty of tips on the We’re Smart TV YouTube channel. 

 Text by Frank Fol – The Vegetables Chef® Founder & Chairman We’re Smart World