Introduction: As the saying goes, "Eat a good breakfast, eat a light dinner." A nutritious breakfast is the start of a healthy life, yet people often neglect it—either skipping it or not eating properly. A perfect breakfast should meet five criteria: starchy foods, high-quality protein, fruits and vegetables rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C, nuts, and a healthy cooking method. Based on these five aspects, I have designed a nutritional scoring standard for breakfast, with a full score of 100 and a passing score of 60. Hurry up and score your breakfast's nutrition!
1. If your breakfast includes starchy staples totaling over 50 grams, you get 20 points. If one-third of that is whole grains or tubers, add 10 more points.
Starchy staples mainly refer to carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, steamed buns, oats, whole grains, or starchy legumes such as red beans, mung beans, kidney beans, and peas. They can also be starchy tubers like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, or taro. These foods are very important in a breakfast. Their main component is carbohydrates, which the body converts into glucose, the body's primary energy source. Furthermore, starchy staples promote the secretion of digestive juices, aid digestion, and protect the stomach and intestines. Whether it's bread, steamed buns, or steamed sweet potatoes and millet porridge, having one or two of these in your breakfast can effectively ensure your productivity in the morning.2. For high-protein foods like over 100 grams of dairy, at least half an egg, or 20 grams of meat or fish, and a cup of soy milk or a few pieces of tofu: eating one type earns 15 points, eating two or more types earns 30 points.
The quality and quantity of protein in food, as well as the ratio of various amino acids, affect the synthesis of various proteins and tissue renewal in the human body. Therefore, it's best to include two types of dairy, eggs, or legumes in your breakfast. They not only provide sufficient protein for the body, making the breakfast nutritionally more complete, but they can also slow down stomach emptying, prolong satiety after the meal, and make the breakfast more "filling." For example, bread is digested quickly, but pairing it with milk makes a big difference. Eating just steamed buns or rice on its own can easily lead to hunger, but pairing them with eggs, soy milk, cooked meat, or soy products will increase satiety.3. If your breakfast includes vegetables, you get 15 points; if it includes fruit, you get 15 points; if it includes both, you get 20 points.
If a meal lacks fruits and vegetables, it's difficult to meet the body's dietary fiber needs, and it's also hard to balance nutrients like potassium and magnesium. However, for busy modern people, it's not easy to include fruits and vegetables in breakfast. In fact, simple and feasible methods include eating a bowl of vegetable salad, adding a few slices of lettuce or cucumber to a bun or bread, adding some greens when boiling noodles, or washing fruit to eat on the go.4. If your breakfast includes nuts like pine nuts or almonds, you get 15 points; if it includes oilseeds like peanuts or melon seeds, you get 15 points; if it includes both, you get 20 points.
If you want your breakfast to score 100, nuts are essential. Swap the nuts you eat while watching TV at night for the morning. One spoonful of almonds, pine nuts, or peanuts can improve your breakfast quality and help prevent obesity. Additionally, nuts are rich in vitamin E and various minerals, which are beneficial for heart health.5. If you use a deep-frying cooking method, deduct 15 points from the total score; if you use a grilling or smoking method, deduct 15 points.
If your breakfast includes deep-fried or grilled/smoked foods, the quality of your breakfast will be greatly diminished. Deep-frying not only destroys nutrients but also produces various substances harmful to health. Deep-fried foods like youtiao (fried dough sticks) and fried cakes are high in calories, contain high amounts of fat and oxidized substances, and can easily lead to obesity. They are also "potential killers" for hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease. Grilled or smoked foods, especially meats like bacon and smoked sausages, may produce carcinogens. Therefore, to preserve food nutrition, it's best to choose steaming or boiling as cooking methods.6. If you didn't eat breakfast, you get 0 points.
Many office workers skip breakfast long-term due to a tight morning schedule. This practice not only reduces work efficiency but, more importantly, is very harmful to the body. Research has found that long-term skipping of breakfast increases the risk of obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, leads to ailments like stomach problems and gallstones, and can also accelerate aging.For busy moderns, in addition to nutritional requirements, breakfast can also include some challenging conditions: it should be delicious to stimulate the usually weak morning appetite; it should be filling so you don't feel hungry by 10 AM; and it should be quick and convenient, ready to eat within 15 minutes. Many people might shake their heads and say, "With such strict conditions, is it really possible?" The answer is yes. I recommend two quick and nutritious breakfast options for you to try. 1. Steamed Bun Sandwich. It's best to use a whole wheat steamed bun. Cut the bun into four slices. Lightly coat a平底 pan (frying pan) with a small amount of olive oil, add the bun slices over low heat, and toast them dry and fragrant on both sides. Then, chop some large almonds and wash and drain the lettuce leaves. Spread a small amount of olive oil or peanut butter on one side of a bun slice, sprinkle with almonds and lettuce, cover with another bun slice, and repeat for the rest. Pair with a glass of milk. This breakfast is delicious and filling, especially suitable for autumn and winter. 2. Soy Milk and Vegetable Bun Combo. Make a five-grain soy milk from black beans, soybeans, and black sesame seeds, boil an egg, and add two vegetarian buns like fenneg egg or bok choy egg filling. If you're short on time in the morning, you can prepare these ingredients the night before.
Breakfast is important, and a nutritious one lays a good foundation for the day's activities. Below, Xiaomei recommends a few delicious breakfast options for you. A beautiful life starts in the morning~
Spinach Egg Roll Custard Bun Oat and Asparagus Lean Porridge Fresh Wontons