Breakfast is exactly what its name suggests -- a meal that gives your body nutrition after an all-night fast. It's often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this is true for several reasons. Breakfast gives your metabolism a boost and helps you start the day with energy. If you add fiber-rich foods to your meal, they can help keep you feeling satisfied longer and also provide a number of health benefits.
Dietary fiber is an indigestible form of carbohydrate found in plant-based foods. Fiber can be either soluble or insoluble and benefits your body in a number of ways. Insoluble fiber, which doesn't dissolve in liquid, helps keep you regular by adding bulk to your stool and keeping it soft. Soluble fiber forms a gel when it mixes with fluids in your stomach. It slows digestion and the uptake of cholesterol, helping keep your blood cholesterol level in a healthy range. Soluble fiber also slows uptake of glucose after a carbohydrate-containing meal, helping preventing a rapid rise in blood sugar. This can allow your blood glucose level to rise more slowly and steadily, helping you stay satisfied longer. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that healthy adults consume between 25 and 30 grams of fiber daily.
Whole grains retain the fibrous outer covering, or bran, of the grain, adding extra fiber to foods that contain them. Many whole-grain foods make excellent, fiber-rich breakfast choices. These include whole-grain cereals and granola, either cold or hot, and oatmeal or oat bran, which are especially rich in soluble fiber. Toasted whole-grain breads, English muffins or bagels are also good choices. Whole-grain or bran muffins are another good, high-fiber option; choose muffins containing nuts or fruit for added flavor and additional fiber.
The Dietary Guidelines say that most Americans should consume more fresh, whole fruits. Adding fruit to your breakfast can help you reach this goal while also increasing your intake of fiber, since most fruits are fiber-rich. Good examples include bananas and berries such as blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. These fruits are especially rich in soluble fiber and can add sweet flavor to your breakfast cereal. You might also add citrus fruits such as oranges or grapefruit to your breakfast. Opt for whole fruit with pulp, or choose juice containing pulp, since pulp is the source of most fiber in citrus fruit. Add a fresh apple, pear or peach to your breakfast occasionally and include the peel to increase the fruit's fiber content.
Although you might not consider vegetables typical breakfast fare, adding fresh broccoli, spinach, chopped collard or kale or minced green or red pepper to your omelet can increase the fiber content of your breakfast. You might also add granola or another dry cereal product to your breakfast yogurt for crunch. Flax, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or a tablespoon or two of wheat germ, can also be a crunchy, flavorful, high-fiber addition to your cereal, yogurt or omelet. Choose a breakfast smoothie occasionally, blending a mixture of fresh fruits and low-fat milk or soy milk until thick and smooth.
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Breakfast: Quick, Flexible Options to Grab at Home
- Columbia Health: Importance of Eating Breakfast
- KidsHealth from Nemours: Breakfast Basics
- Cleveland Clinic: Heart Healthy Breakfast
- Colorado State University Extension: Dietary Fiber
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet
- cereal with bananas image by robert lerich from Fotolia.com