Build-Up your Breakfast
- The Surveyor
- Mar 5, 2021
- 5 min read
By Nadia Nemeth
With masks on all day and the use of hand sanitizer being imperative to having a quick snack, high schoolers are faced with an issue: breakfast. What should I eat, and how much? Do I even have time? Of course, you do! Get excited about the new, quick, healthy, and delicious breakfast options that will keep you full all day long.
First of all, what is breakfast? Breakfast is literally breaking a fast after a night of no food consumption. Currently, Great Valley students' breakfasts are incredibly bland. Five randomly chosen GVHS students surveyed answered the question: What do you eat for breakfast? The responses never left the realm of bagels, waffles, cereal, and pancakes. The common factor between all these foods is their carbohydrate content.
Nicole Nemeth MD, a pediatrician working at a CHOP primary care office in Coatesville gave her input on a well-rounded breakfast.
“Adolescents should have a mix of carbohydrates, protein and fats with breakfast,” Dr. Nemeth said. The carbohydrates give you immediate energy which is necessary after your overnight “fast”. But, unfortunately for our bagel fans, carbohydrates alone won’t put you at full brainpower until lunch.
“Protein is necessary for growth and fats are essential to normal body function and to provide energy reserve as well as a feeling of fullness after eating," commented Dr. Nemeth. So no, the answer is not waffles, cereal, and pancakes. The answer is not skipping breakfast altogether. A well-rounded breakfast must include all of it: protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats in order to keep the brain functioning normally and the body energized.
So now to the good part, the food. Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day because of all the delicious options.
1. Eggs
One of the most underrated breakfast foods, eggs, are packed with protein. If cholesterol is a concern, egg whites are a filling option as well. Scrambled eggs are quick and easy, and you can add any vegetables or cheeses you would like to make them even more tasty. Some of my favorite combinations are mushroom spinach and feta, ground turkey with bell peppers, mushroom and feta, tomato and mozzarella, and ham with cheddar cheese.
A lot of times I use the extra vegetables and ground turkey from taco leftovers in my eggs. From salsa to guacamole or peppers and tomatoes, eggs are a great way to use up that extra food!
There are plenty of other ways to serve eggs too including sunny-side up, an omelet, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, or poached. If you’re looking for a quicker, grab-and-go breakfast, hard-boiled eggs or egg muffins are for you. If you make eggs in this way, you can prep them days beforehand. I have attached recipes for my favorite egg muffins, yes, eggs in the shape of muffins. You can make them up to three days in advance, and just heat them up in the microwave in the morning!
2. Cottage Cheese with Raspberries, Strawberries, and Blueberries
Yes, I know, many people think cottage cheese is GROSS. The chunkiness and texture throw everyone for a loop. But since my initial disgust of it at the age of five years old, I have tried it again. It is an incredible, sort of distant cousin of plain yogurt. Not to mention it is super healthy and packed with growth-inducing protein!
3. Smoothies
Smoothies are an incredible breakfast option packed with carbohydrates from the fruit, protein
from any type of protein power, or milk and fats from nut butters or avocado. There are so many combinations of fruits, vegetables, oats, and proteins that can be put into smoothies; it isimpossible for anyone to not enjoy at least one!
Here are some of my personal favorite combinations:
Don’t be afraid to add your own twist to these recipes too! You can add a scoop of protein powder or nut butter to get that healthy fat and protein that will stick with you throughout the day. Play around with it, make your own recipes with what you have at home!
4. Yogurt with Granola
The granola provides the necessary carbohydrates for short term energy, while the yogurt carries the protein and healthy fats to get all the way to lunch. There are all types of flavors and brands in yogurt and granola, but some of these brands are full of sugar and do not hold much nutritional value.
Here are the brands that are as good for your body as they taste in your mouth:
Greek: Chobani and Oikos
Icelandic Skyr:type of yogurt that is more protein rich and thicker in texture): Icelandic Provisions and Siggis
French Style: Oui
German Style: Liebe
Granola Brands: The Granola Factory, Bear Naked, and Kind
5. Protein Bars
In the case of an I-missed-my-alarm-and-I-need-to-eat-while-driving-type of morning, protein bars are an excellent choice! They are crumb-free and filling, but again, it is important to purchase the correct brand. The protein bar needs to consist of the essential food energy so that your brain and body have the tools it needs to function optimally throughout the school day.
Dr. Nicole Nemeth suggested: Pure Protein Bars, Quest Bars, RX Bars, Clif Bars, and Luna Bars.
These brands come in many different flavors, so there will be one that you love!
6. Toast Variations
I hate to break it to everyone, but a hot piece of bread won’t carry your appetite until noon.
The most fantastic pairings for toast are:
Almond butter and sliced strawberries
Peanut Butter and sliced bananas
Smashed avocados with feta, pickled red onions or a sunny-side up egg
Plain Greek Yogurt with blueberries
Cottage cheese with granola
Mix and match these with each other as well!
7. Overnight Oats
I am one of the people who absolutely despises oatmeal. The texture isn’t right, and the fact that the oats are WARM: it’s unsettling. But I recently tried overnight oats and let me tell you, I fell in love! It’s like eating ice-cream for breakfast. Just as with smoothies, there are hundreds of recipes for this nutritious breakfast that tastes more like dessert. The best part about them is they can be made the night before, in just five minutes or less. When you’re ready to leave in the morning, simply grab a spoon, open the fridge, grab your oats and go! The oats can be topped with fresh fruit, sliced nuts, shredded coconut, or granola. So have fun with it, make some new combinations, figure out what you like!
Here are some of my favorite recipes for starters:
There you have it! Now you have enough breakfast ideas that keep you satisfied all day long, every day of the week! So, no more excuses for why you are hungry or that breakfast is boring. But what are you doing still reading? Go grocery shopping and start prepping what you will make tonight or tomorrow to get your day started off right!
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