Breakfast Drinks – Our Top 5 Healthy Choices
A healthy morning routine is a key to a productive day, and what you eat makes all the difference. A nutritious breakfast can help revitalize your body — giving you the energy you need to stay focused and energetic throughout the day. For a quick fix to help you get geared up for the morning ahead, try one of these healthy breakfast drinks.
Breakfast Drinks Pick #5
PACK A WALLOP WITH MILK
Packed with energy and nutrients, milk is the go-to base for any breakfast drink.
Start your day with a single serving [1] of fortified skim milk or opt for a healthy non-dairy alternative like soy or almond milk.
The protein [2] that milk provides has a satiating value that can leave you feeling fuller longer, while the vitamins and minerals in milk contain energy-boosting [3] nutrients needed to sustain a healthy immune and circulatory system.
Eight ounces of skim milk [4] will give you 30% of your daily recommended calcium intake, while almond milk will provide you 45% of your daily calcium per cup.
If you like your milk with a little bit more body, add one tablespoon of hearty rolled oats to a cup of milk and soak overnight [5]. Come morning, the oats will be soft and your shake will be ready to go. Add unsweetened cocoa powder for an additional layer of flavor.
Breakfast Drinks Pick #4
JUICY DELICIOUSNESS
Eschew the processed sugar but not the sweetness with natural freshly-squeezed fruit juices.
Or go for 8-ounces of unsweetened [6] frozen or bottled juices for a more convenient alternative.
Citrus fruit juices like orange and lemonade will help you meet your daily vitamin C intake while cranberry juice can support a healthy urinary tract [7].
These are the perfect wake me up juice drinks.
Breakfast Drinks Pick #3
QUICK PROTEIN SHAKE
If you have a busy morning ahead of you opt for a quick and healthy protein shake.
A study [8] in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that ghrelin, an appetite-increasing hormone, decreased amongst participants who consumed high-protein breakfasts.
Good protein [9] sources are soy, whey, pea or hemp powder mixed with water or your milk of choice.
Breakfast Drinks Pick #2
BULLETPROOF COFFEE OR TEA
Caffeine may be the bad boy of breakfast stimulants, but caffeine in moderation boasts many health benefits [10].
A single cup of coffee contains [11]:
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA.
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.
When drinking coffee as a meal replacement make sure to “bulletproof” your drink by adding a source of healthy fat [12], like a teaspoon of coconut oil, to your coffee.
Breakfast Drinks Pick #1
SMOOTHIE SUPREME
The star of breakfast beverages, smoothies are “de rigueur” for the health conscious.
A smoothie is a complete meal by itself, full of flavor and body-building goodness, and you can even take it with you in a travel glass.
Mix your smoothie with your choice of milk or yogurt for protein. For healthy fat, add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil or half of a small avocado.
Great additions to any healthy smoothie [13] are flaxseed for the fiber, strawberries for vitamins K, C and folic acid and two ounces of coconut milk for healthy fat.
Combine and blend as your palette and dietary requirements demand.
The Last Word: Water Wellness
Make sure to stay healthily hydrated [14] with water.
Go eight for eight — eight, eight-ounce glasses of water each day.
Try adding lemon or cucumber to your water for a tasty fruit infusion.
RELATED ARTICLE: Daily Checklist: 8 Natural Tips For A Healthier You, Inside And Out
Healthy Breakfast Drinks Resources;
[1] Healthline; Comparing Milks: Almond, Dairy, Soy, Rice, and Coconut, Brian Krans, Peggy Pletcher, MS, RD, LD, CDE March 31, 2017.
[2] Dairy Nutrition Canada; Milk Products: Source of High-Quality Protein.
[3] Rachel Ray; Top Super Foods: Improve your Health and Boost Your Energy, Emily Wyckoff, September 30, 2009.
[4] ProCon; Comparison of Calcium Content in Select Foods, January 06, 2009.
[5] Bon Appetit; Make Overnight Oats That Actually Taste Good by Avoiding These Common Mistakes, Rochelle Bilow, August 5, 2015.
[6] CNN; Is fruit juice healthy?, Lisa Drayer, April 07, 2017.
[7] Live Strong; How Much Cranberry Juice for a UTI?, Diana Kaniecki, October 03, 2017.
[8] The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, 24-h satiety, and energy and substrate metabolism during a high-protein diet and measured in a respiration chamber, Manuela PGM Lejeune, Klaas R Westerterp, Tanja CM Adam, Natalie D Luscombe-Marsh, Margriet S Westerterp-Plantenga, January 2006.
[9] Cleveland Clinic; 7 Tips for Choosing the Best Protein Powder for You, February 08, 2016.
[10] Healthline; 13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science, Kris Gunnars, BSc, June 15, 2017.
[11] Self Nutrition Data; Coffee, brewed from grounds, prepared with tap water Nutrition Facts & Calories.
[12] Women’s Health; Is Adding Butter to Your Coffee Actually Good For You?, K. Aleisha Fetters, January 24, 2014.
[13] Huffington Post; How Breakfast Green Smoothies Will Improve Your Life?, Adonia Dennis, November 17, 2017.
[14] Everyday Health; The Health Benefits of Water, Jen Laskey, Sanjai Sinha MD, February 16, 2015.
