Autumn began, and with it the season of colds and flu. The days are sometimes sunny, but the nights and mornings are already very cold, there are even frosts. To protect yourself from the morning cold and colds, it is worth eating a warming breakfast before leaving the house.
It's no coincidence that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After an overnight fast, the body needs nutrients, and a well-prepared breakfast will give us energy for the whole day and strengthen the immune system.
What should a warming breakfast look like?
In the autumn-winter period, it is worth switching to warm breakfasts. At this time, limit sandwiches and cereals with cold milk, replace them with porridge with nuts (if you like sweet breakfasts) or porridge with vegetables (if you prefer dry flavors in the morning).
Warming sweet breakfasts
The basis of such a breakfast should be whole grains in the form of oatmeal, millet, buckwheat or quinoa. Whole grains are a source of fiber and complex carbohydrates that are slowly digested, keep your blood sugar stable, and give you energy throughout the morning.
Boil cereals or porridge in water, milk, or a vegetable drink. By using milk or soy drink, you increase the amount of protein and calcium in your food. Add dried fruits such as raisins, dates, dried apricots, figs, or plums to ready-made cereals. They will be a source of sweet taste and another serving of fiber and minerals. Figs are especially rich in calcium, while apricots are especially rich in iron. You can also add raw banana or other fresh fruits.
Another important breakfast ingredient is nuts and seeds, which are sources of healthy fats and minerals like zinc, magnesium and iron. To diversify your meals, use a variety of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds) and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia).
The last important ingredient is warming spices. When preparing cereals, you can add finely chopped ginger, and sprinkle with cinnamon throughout the breakfast. These spices are warming and antibacterial, stimulate the immune system and protect against colds.
Savory warming breakfasts
You can also prepare a warming breakfast in a savory version. As with sweet breakfasts, choose whole grains such as buckwheat, millet, barley, or quinoa. Using several varieties of cereals, you will make your breakfast varied.
While the cereals are cooking, simmer the vegetables in a separate saucepan. This can be broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, celery. Add warming spices (such as ginger and turmeric) and antioxidants (oregano and marjoram). Stir the cooked porridge with stewed vegetables, you can add a few tablespoons of tomato puree.
By adding legumes to your breakfast, you increase the amount of protein and fiber. You can cook the cereals along with lentils, use canned pods (such as white or red beans), or add shredded tofu. Sprinkle sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or ground flax seeds over a plate to add healthy fats to your meal.
Or maybe a soup for breakfast?
Although we don't associate soup with breakfast, there is nothing stopping us from eating it early in the day. If you can't eat a hot lunch at work and rely on sandwiches or fruit, eating soup for breakfast is a great solution.
Such a soup should contain vegetables, whole grains (different types of cereals), legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans). This will make it a balanced meal, rich in both protein and carbohydrates.
Soup also has the advantage that you can cook it the night before and just reheat it in the morning. You can also make more soup on weekends and freeze it in small containers so you have a ready-made breakfast for the week.
What else can you do?
In the morning, we often have little time to prepare breakfast and choose the quickest solutions, such as sandwiches or cereal with milk. To speed up and improve the preparation of a warming breakfast, it is worth planning what we will eat in the evening and collecting all the necessary ingredients (nuts, seeds, fruits, spices) in one place. New ideas and recipes are worth trying out on the weekend when we have more time.
