A colorful breakfast that’s packed with nutrients is how celebrity yoga trainer, Rupal Sidhpura Faria, starts her day. “This is my morning acai bowl. It has a lot of berries, nuts and flax seeds, chia seeds and other seeds as well. I don’t have this every morning but it is a healthy breakfast to jumpstart my day. It has yoghurt, fruits, seeds and nuts for antioxidants, protein, fibre and some colours to increase the micro-nutrients available to my body,” says Rupal.

 

Essentials for a Healthy Breakfast

 

1. Get your dose of antioxidants: This smoothie bowl has berries that are rich in antioxidants such as bioflavonoids and Vitamin C and potassium. Antioxidants reduce the risk of cancer, heart diseases, hypertension and improve brain function. Bioflavonoids enhance the Vitamin C action. Potassium helps to absorb calcium quickly in the body.

 

2. Add a source of fiber: Oats are rich in fibre. Among its many benefits, oats promote helpful bacteria in the digestive tract. Oats also keep you full for a longer time as they have a low glycemic index. A study titled Fiber Intake Predicts Weight Loss and Dietary Adherence in Adults Consuming Calorie-Restricted Diets: The POUNDS Lost by Derek C Miketinas, and team suggests that dietary fibre intake, independently of macronutrient and caloric intake, promotes weight loss and dietary adherence in adults who are overweight or obese consuming a calorie-restricted diet.

 

3. Top it with micronutrients and probiotics: Yoghurt is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, protein, riboflavin, and Vitamin B6 and B12. Yoghurt also contains probiotics—healthy bacteria that regulate the digestive system and decrease gas, constipation and bloating.
According to The Potential Role of Yogurt in Weight Management and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes by Shirin Panahi and Angelo Tremblay, recent epidemiological and clinical evidence proved that yoghurt is involved in the maintenance of body weight and can help partly reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.

 

4. Don’t skip on healthy fats: This healthy breakfast option contains different nuts such as cashews and almonds and seeds such as sunflower, chia and flax seeds. These nuts are high in healthy fats like monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats but have low quantities of bad or saturated fats. Fats are essential to digest fat-soluble vitamins ( A, D, E, and K) and minerals (calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc.) These seeds offer a multitude of health benefits such as reduced risk of coronary artery disease, improved cholesterol levels, good glucose and lipid control, anti-inflammatory action and reduced blood pressure.

 

5. Add more colour to your plate: This smoothie bowl has red and blue fruits. Red coloured fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, which reduce the risk of cancer, heart diseases, hypertension and improved brain function. Blue fruits get their colour from a plant compound called polyphenols. Such fruits are usually high in anthocyanins, which promote heart health and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.