Modern people's breakfasts fall into several categories: the bottle-fed group, the on-the-go group, the shaobing and youtiao group, the vegetarian group, and the congee with small dishes group. Are their breakfasts scientific? This article will tell you what the best choice is. The convenient and hassle-free bottle-fed group
Chen Jiamei, an accountant at a trading company, breakfast: often eats toast like pineapple bread, red bean bread, or cream bread, then drinks a bottle of milk, sometimes with coffee. Because it's convenient and hassle-free, many families adopt this model for breakfast. Reminder:
Toast bread seems relatively "safe," without fillings and low in sugar. However, for bread to be tasty, it won't be low in oil, especially for smooth and creamy fresh milk toast or egg toast, which require more oil during preparation. As for the cream, jam, or peanut butter spread on the toast, the calories and fat in peanut butter are also considerable, so it's best to use it sparingly. Cream presents another issue: modern people think animal fats are unhealthy and have switched to vegetable cream. However, most commercially available vegetable creams undergo hydrogenation, forming a type of trans fatty acid. "This type of fatty acid has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, and regular consumption is detrimental to health," explains Mr. Lin, a nutritionist and pharmacist at Shanghai Hongqiao Hospital. Therefore, your energy might start to decline before 10 AM. Suggestion:
Children over two years old and adults can switch to low-fat or skim milk to reduce daily fat intake. Filled breads are high in calories and fat, so don't eat them often. If you want something sweet, consider a small spoonful of jam. It's also advisable to vary the spreads on your toast to avoid a daily buildup of trans fatty acids (from cream), aflatoxins (from peanut butter), or sugar (from jam), and to use them sparingly. A suitable choice would be two slices of toast with peanut butter or cream, or one slice with low-fat cheese, plus a bottle of low-fat milk or yogurt. If you have time, adding some lettuce, tomato, or cucumber will make the meal more nutritionally balanced. The on-the-go group
Wang Lingling, who works at an advertising company, buys her breakfast from a convenience store next to her company every morning and eats it while walking. This has been her breakfast habit for years. "It's nearby, so I can just grab it and go, and there are many things to choose from," Wang Lingling says. Sometimes she eats an onigiri with yogurt, and other times she chooses a tea egg or a meat bun. Reminder:
Li Yuhui, a researcher at the Nanjing Nutrition Society, points out that the fillings in onigiri, such as ham or chicken, are sources of high-quality animal protein. Although the meat content isn't high, when paired with milk—a complete protein source—the calories (approximately 370-420 kcal) and protein intake of this breakfast are sufficient. If you choose a meat bun with milk, the protein intake is also adequate. She reminds that the sodium content of onigiri is also not low, especially for people with high blood pressure. Suggestion:
Due to different fillings, the oil content of some onigiri can be high. To reduce fat intake, it's recommended to pair it with low-fat milk or low-fat yogurt. Some convenience stores sell lettuce salads; you can buy one to meet your vegetable intake for breakfast, but use the dressing sparingly. If you're not used to eating vegetables in the morning, there's no need to force it, but be sure to make up for it at lunch and dinner. The hurried shaobing and youtiao group
As more people turn to Western-style breakfasts like sandwiches and hamburgers, Zhang Yiwen, an editor and reporter at a magazine, still has a special fondness for the traditional combination of shaobing (fried flatbread), youtiao (fried dough stick), and soy milk. She often ate youtiao as a child, "It was fun to watch a small piece of dough become a long, crispy youtiao!" As she grew up, she felt youtiao was too greasy and unhealthy, so she chose shaobing or onigiri for breakfast. Reminder:
Is the oil content of shaobing really less than that of youtiao? Nutritionists don't think so. "The invisible oil is the most terrifying," says Mr. Zhao of the Guangzhou Nutrition Society. The shaobing, youtiao, egg pancakes, radish cakes, and fried dumplings sold at soy milk shops all have high oil content. However, for foods like youtiao and egg pancakes where the oil is visible on the surface, people tend to be more cautious. But many people are deceived by shaobing, thinking that because it's baked and doesn't have a greasy surface, its calories and fat must be lower. This is not necessarily the case. Mr. Zhao explains, "The reason shaobing is so fragrant and crispy is because a lot of oil is added during its preparation." A shaobing has about 230-250 kcal, with about 25% of its calories coming from fat. Furthermore, soy milk is also a medium-fat food, so this combination is very high in oil. As for onigiri, its calorie and fat content is even higher; a medium-sized onigiri has over 550 kcal, with about 47% of its calories from fat. If paired with a cup of soy milk or milk, the total calories exceed 700 kcal, which is more suitable for heavy laborers to eat occasionally. Suggestion:
This type of breakfast is high in calories and fat, so it's best to eat it infrequently, no more than once a week. Moreover, the lunch and dinner on that day must be as light as possible, avoiding fried, stir-fried, or deep-fried foods. This breakfast is also low in vegetables, so you need to supplement with more vegetables in the other two meals. Fruit can be added according to personal preference. When eating shaobing or youtiao, it's recommended to pair them with soy milk instead of rice milk, because rice milk is still a rice product and its protein quality is poorer. The sesame seeds sprinkled on shaobing are often not chewed thoroughly. After being swallowed, they can stick to the stomach wall, easily causing stomach pain or even inflammation in some people, so be careful when eating them. The light congee with small dishes group
The congee with small dishes group is mostly composed of the elderly. Reminder:
This type of breakfast doesn't have a problem of being too high in oil. However, nutritionists believe that the pickles and fermented bean curd served with congee are low in nutritional value and too salty, with high sodium content. In addition, processed foods may contain preservatives, and regular consumption can harm the liver and kidneys. Mr. Liu, a nutrition teacher at Huai'an Food and Nutrition College, points out that some elderly people or breakfast vegetarians who only eat congee with pickles and fermented bean curd lack protein, which is not an ideal diet. Suggestion:
When eating congee, you can add a poached egg or a serving of lean meat. For vegetarians, choose tofu, dried tofu, or other soy products to get protein. Fermented bean curd and pickles should be eaten as little as possible. Also, add a plate of stir-fried greens, and this breakfast becomes very balanced. The potassium in vegetables can help the body expel sodium. For students or office workers who buy savory congee from a breakfast cart, it's recommended to add a tea egg or drink a bottle of milk to increase protein intake. Also, supplement with some fruit every day, but avoid drinking juice as it is too high in calories. The energetic vegetarian breakfast group
Walking into the office of Yangzhou Sanxiao Group, you can hear Yin Lijuan's hearty laughter. She is slender and speaks with force, using expressive hand gestures, and it's hard to tell she is already 40 years old.
What makes her look so energetic and full of vitality? After a moment's thought, she says, "It might have something to do with my vegetarian diet! Being a vegetarian has really improved my physical strength, energy, and endurance." Yin Lijuan says with a vibrant expression. Even when she has to stay up late and get up early for work, rushing around, she can still complete her tasks with high energy despite insufficient sleep.
"I used to dislike vegetables and was a terrible carnivore; I had to eat large chunks of meat, thinking shredded meat didn't count," she says with wide eyes.
Later, she read some books given by friends and started to pay attention to health knowledge. She also felt that being a vegetarian was an environmentally friendly act that could protect the world's water and soil resources from pollution. "It's both healthy and environmentally friendly, why not do it?" With this thought, Yin Lijuan embraced a vegetarian lifestyle.
For Yin Lijuan, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the wake-up call that rouses her from sleep. "Every morning when I open my eyes, the thought of what I can eat for breakfast makes me happy to get out of bed. I've had this habit since I was young: I must eat something after waking up, so I always make sure to have breakfast," she laughs, saying that breakfast is the incentive that keeps her from staying in bed.
When she first started on a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, a friend taught her to make a thick porridge by mixing yeast powder, black sesame powder, milk powder, almond powder, Job's tears powder, brown rice powder, and raisins. Later, she heard the saying, "Eating fruit in the morning is like gold, at noon it's like silver, and at night it's like copper," so she added fruit to her breakfast menu. In addition, a bottle of yogurt, some lettuce, a boiled egg, and two slices of whole-wheat toast. Reminder:
Overall, Ms. Chen's breakfast is rich and varied. However, the five-grain porridge, boiled egg, and yogurt should not be eaten in the same meal, as protein intake would be excessive. If four scoops of a five-grain powder mix are used to make a bowl of porridge (about 2 servings of staple food), plus two slices of whole-wheat toast, the protein and calorie requirements are already met. Also, avoid eating greasy, fried foods for the other two meals. Suggestion:
The five-grain powder mix includes beans and grains, providing a balanced protein source. Furthermore, the protein from these powders, derived from plant seeds, is of the highest quality among plant proteins. Yeast powder is also a good source of B vitamins, making this diet a good choice for vegetarians. For vegans who do not eat eggs or dairy, it is recommended to increase beans to supplement protein. For example, eating whole-wheat bread or grain bread containing nuts like almonds and walnuts provides a richer protein source, and the proteins from beans and grains are complementary to each other.