We have all heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As college students, we don’t always have the time to whip up the healthiest of breakfasts in the morning. The first thing you can grab on the way to your lecture typically qualifies as your breakfast.
If you’re looking for the simplest ways to make your quick breakfast as healthy as possible, you’ve come to the right place. These small changes will go a long way in the morning.
Cut Cream Cheese
Photo by Monica Mellon
Adding cream cheese to your bagel can add about 200 additional calories and about 20 grams of fat. It also will not provide you with the sufficient amount of energy to make it though your morning. Instead, try a nut butter. Nut butters are packed with proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals and will provide you will the strength to stay awake throughout your morning.
No Jelly
Photo by Caitlin Shoemaker
I know. Sorry. Jelly is filled with sugar and unnatural sweeteners that do nothing for you, other than give you a quick burst of energy. An easy, healthier fix to this is to use your own fruits and a create a berry spread simply by crushing up your fruits and leaving them in your refrigerator over night, or you could even try to make your own jam.
Upgrade Your Yogurt
Photo courtesy of Maggie Harriman
Yogurt is the typical go-to for your quick healthy breakfast. Yes yogurt is very good for you, especially Greek yogurt, but you could make it so much better! Making your own yogurt parfait is a great way to add more flavor, protein and vitamins to give you energy all morning!
Replace Your Fruit Flavor With Real Fruit
Photo by Kristine Mahan
Trust me, I know how great your fruity flavored Toaster Strudels and Poptarts are, but I promise real fruit tastes much better. Fruits provide antioxidants, vitamins, potassium, and fiber while cutting out unnatural sugars and unnecessary calories. Making a fruit salad for breakfast gives you enough energy to make it though your 8 am.
Try a Protein Bread
Photo courtesy of Aarti Vyas
Toast is quick, easy, and let’s be honest, why wouldn’t you want to start your day with bread? However, white bread is very counterproductive to your healthy morning; it’s filled with unnatural flavors and little of the fiber and protein you need in the morning. I know telling you to eat wheat bread is useless, so try making a protein bread! They’re easy to make and filled with all the protein and fibers that you don’t get from white bread.
SpoonTip: This can’t be done right before your 8 am. Try making it the night before and heating it up the next morning!
Pick a Healthier Coffee Creamer
Photo by Monica Mellon
Yes, you can still have your morning coffee! Coffee does great things for your body when it’s not filled with sugars and flavored creamers. Coffee Mate creamers are filled with sugars and fats that you can easily avoid. To fix this, replace your creamer with a skim milk, or try a Leaner Creamer to get all of coffee’s benefits without the harmful effects of sugars.
Add Natural Sugars to Your Cereal
Photo by Monica Mellon
Lucky Charms and Frosted Flakes are the obvious choice over a Go Lean Crunch or Cheerios. They’re sweet, delicious, and filled with artificial sweeteners and unnatural sugars to give you a burst of quick energy. The not-so-sweet cereals are filled with all the fibers and proteins you need without the sugars you don’t need. There are many ways to upgrade your cereal to get a natural sweet taste, including adding your own fruit!