BREAKFASTS WITHOUT BREAD AND WITHOUT CEREALS

 

When we talk about a supposedly healthy breakfast, nowadays, it is almost impossible to imagine it without bread.

But in reality, the breakfast that many Spaniards have, (and I include myself), practiced for years, has been the glass of milk/coffee/tea with pastries and orange juice or replacing the bun with toasted sliced ​​bread with butter and jam, especially if it was the weekend.

I practiced this scheme during my childhood, in the 80s, my adolescence in the 90s and until the beginning of the 2000s, I was unaware of how harmful it was and I simply went with what I saw, nothing more.

When I say pastries, I include many things: from the innocent Maria cookies to the classic croissant, passing through the caracola, the napolitana, the ensaimada, the tortitas, the pancakes, the donuts, the muffins, the sobaos, and also homemade cakes loaded with sugar with refined wheat flour, should I continue?.

 

Industrial boxed breakfast cereals arrived in Spain to stay in the 80s.

 

Another option that arrived in Spain from the US in the mid-80s and became popular in the 90s were the venerated “cereals”, boxes full of products disguised as healthy, initially aimed at children and adolescents and later also at those who wanted to take care of themselves.

Focused on adults, they came to say something like “if you want to take care of yourself, eat cereal for breakfast”, that’s right, with the excuse of fiber, something important was overlooked, sugar.

Brands like “All bran”, “Special K”, “Weetabix”, “Fitness”, focused their marketing on weight loss, healthy living and the supposedly modern life of urbanites and people in a hurry with no time to waste first thing in the morning, especially women.

Boxed cereals are industrially processed products rich in sugar, salt and with much less fiber than we are told.

Their sale is aimed at children and adolescents, at women who want to control their weight and take care of their diet and there is always a line that is very rich in fiber, to avoid constipation.

 

The most popular breakfast cereals do not meet the assumption that they are healthy

 

What a shame to try to deceive the consumer like this, but it is nothing new, it is what the food industry has accustomed us to, it puts its profit before people’s health.

 

 

The nutritional contribution of industrial breakfast cereals is frankly poor and is of no benefit at all the health of the people who consume them.

For example, the classic Special K from Kellogg’s, whose target audience is mainly women who take care of their health and want to control their weight. Every 100 g of product contains 4.5 g of fiber and 15 g of sugar.

As a general rule, for a food to be rich in fiber it must contain at least 6 g of fiber per 100 g of product, as you can see this is not the case here. And as for sugar, 15g is an excessive amount, with the total carbohydrates being 79g per 100g of product.

To give you an idea, in 1oog of wholegrain oat flakes, there are approximately 59g of carbohydrates, of which only 1g is sugar.

 

Industrial cereals are very profitable products for the companies that market them.

 

Of course, “boxed” breakfast cereals are not the ideal breakfast, they don’t even come close to that idea, they are industrial products, very profitable for the companies that market them and that will do little to improve your health.

As far as cereals are concerned, if you really like to consume them, Opt for wholegrain oats, without added sugar. You can cook them in milk or soak them for a few hours before eating them to soften them. You can add cinnamon, fruit, seeds, or nuts. You can also opt for kamut or puffed buckwheat; these are options you’ll find at health food stores and can prepare in your own healthy way. Remember to always read labels and make sure you’re buying cereal and nothing else. Sometimes in health food stores, it’s easy to get carried away thinking everything is fine, but sugar is abundant in many products, so don’t be fooled and read before you buy.

The healthy breakfast that’s currently in fashion is wholegrain spelt toastta or rye and the “detox” smoothie.

 

If you ask someone right now about a “healthy” breakfast, they will tell you about the typical avocado toast with a poached egg or a “detox” smoothie made with spinach, celery, and apple.

These are images that have become very popular thanks to social networks and the proliferation of healthy food establishments whose proposals are usually, above all, “Instagrammable”, although also delicious, why not say it?

I love avocado and I have tried some of those smoothies, I have to say that they are very good, but let’s see more options.

In this post I want to talk to you about options for breakfast without bread, but also without other cereals, they are also easy proposals that are prepared instantly, without cook.

Because realistically, few people have the courage to light the stove at 7 in the morning and most don’t have the time or the desire.

Those who can afford to have breakfast later and have more time may find the more elaborate options good, but most of the time there is little time because you have to get out of there in a hurry.

 

A cereal-free and bread-free breakfast is possible, easy, and accessible for everyone.

 

The breakfasts I suggest here are:

• Bread-free
• Cereal-free
• Low-carb
• Rich in nutrients
• Satisfying
• Easy to prepare
• Easy to digest

 

Some examples:

1. 1/2 avocado, 70 g of fresh cheese, 5 walnuts, seeds sesame seeds, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil.
2. 1/2 avocado, 1 can of mackerel in olive oil, sunflower seeds, extra virgin olive oil.
3. 1 tbsp of cottage cheese, 1 boiled egg, 5 walnuts, 5 green olives, 1 tbsp hummus, extra virgin olive oil.
4. 200 ml of kefir, 12 fresh blueberries, 3 large strawberries, 5 raspberries, and 6 walnuts or almonds.
5. Scrambled egg with spinach, 5 almonds.
6. Endive leaves stuffed with chicken from the day before, avocado, and tomato, or stuffed with boiled egg and tuna.
7. Cucumber and carrot sticks, hummus, and ham with paprika from the Vera.

 

A bread-free breakfast combines dairy products, nuts, meat, fish, seeds…

 

Other options:

Allergic to nuts? Avoid them and replace them with seeds

Don’t you eat dairy products? Don’t include them and increase the amount of other ingredients, for example 2 eggs instead of 1, or substitute it with another protein, ham for example.

You can also substitute kefir with vegetable, almond or coconut milk.

Something interesting you can do is save something from the previous day, for example, chicken breast cooked in the oven, grilled or steamed, save the leftovers and crumble them for breakfast the next day.

The same with stewed beef, you can use leftovers for breakfast, combining it with lettuce hearts, spinach and eggs.

 

 

Canned fish is a good resource, if you are controlling your salt intake, you can always opt for bonito or tuna preserved in natural water, drain it well and add extra virgin olive oil.

Always have boiled eggs in the fridge, it is a fabulous snack, also to take with you, they have their own natural wrapping!

Fruit is another option to add to breakfast, although it is not mandatory, but it opens up the range of possibilities.

For example, a bowl of kefir with red fruits and nuts.

If you are very active, a banana and a handful of almonds (30 g) is a great energy boost. The banana also comes pre-wrapped 🙂

 

The quantities depend on you, your activity level, your physique; we are all different.

 

The quantities and servings vary depending on the person and the time of breakfast, whether you wake up very hungry or feeling full, whether you are very active, whether you train in the morning or in the afternoon, whetheryou work sitting down or if you do it on the move, etc.

 

 

There are times when we cannot decide the time at which we want to have breakfast, because it depends on our work schedule, so we have to adapt in the best possible way and depending on what your body asks for.

If you wake up hungry every day, have breakfast before leaving, if not, wait until break time at work, take your breakfast in a lunch box and make your tea or coffee there.

 

What are the advantages of having breakfast without bread or cereal?

Fundamentally, it improves the glycemic curve.

It makes you feel full for longer.

Wheat is pro-inflammatory, and gluten is partly to blame. In addition, current varieties are not what they used to be; they have been changing to more productive species that contain even more gluten.

 

Refined wheat is cheaper, is used industrially, and is pro-inflammatory.

 

Another reason is that most of the Bread bought in supermarkets has not been fermented, they are doughs with chemical fermentation, ultra fast, which worsens the final quality and makes it more difficult to digest. That is why it is important to buy quality bread in traditional bakeries where they use sourdough and respect the fermentation times, obviously the product is more expensive, but also healthier and safer than with better quality flours. In my case, I cannot eat flour at the first meal of the day, they repeat it for hours and I find it very annoying. I’m not trying to convince you of anything, nor do I want to profess the “IT WORKS FOR ME”. I want you to see that you can have breakfast without bread, without cereals, without sweets, and without buns, combinations prepared in less than 5 minutes and absolutely nutritious and delicious. If you are celiac, you will obviously have already eliminated gluten from your diet, but be careful, do not replace it with ultra-processed “gluten-free” breads, read the labels of these products before buying them, you will get a big scare. Learn to have breakfast without bread and you will have many more options wherever you are. You can get gluten-free buckwheat bread with kamut. or with coconut flour in some bakeries or you can do it yourself.

But if all that is too tedious for you, why not learn to have breakfast without bread?

And if your problem is not celiac disease, but you suffer from an autoimmune disease, or you are diabetic, if you suffer from hypertension, if your triglycerides are not good, if you are overweight or obese, if you have migraines, etc., perhaps you should start thinking about changing your breakfasts, and in general, your diet.

 

 

As soon as carbohydrates are eliminated from the diet, you lose weight, your body progressively deflates, you feel less bloated, digestion improves and your body composition improves, your body fat level (usually visceral) decreases and muscle mass increases (especially if the diet is accompanied by strength exercise).

It’s up to you to improve, if your health has played a trick on you, take the reins and empower yourself, only you will be able to make the change.

 

Take the reins of your health, it’s up to you improve.

 

In this post I have given you the example of breakfast, as the first meal of the day, but perhaps you need to cover more, and if you do not see yourself capable, ask for help from an updated professional.

I know, bread and cereals in general are part of our diet, they are rooted in our tradition and it seems that we cannot live without them.

It’s time for you to know that you can live without them or consuming them in a much more limited quantity, and you can get all the carbohydrates you need from vegetables, fruits and legumes and you do not need to eat pro-inflammatory cereals such as wheat, spelt, barley or rye.

 

 

You also don’t need to take large starches quantities, no rice, no potatoes,You can eat other tubers, but preferably in moderation and when they are in season.

To replace potatoes, I recommend white turnips, parsnips, and carrots.

Choose fruits with lower carbohydrate content, be careful with fructose; you shouldn’t overindulge. Fruit can be very healthy, but in moderation. If you overindulge, you’ll cross the line. Obviously, they’ve sold it to us very well, as if consuming it was harmless, but it isn’t.

Choose red fruits and fruits that are in season; avoid the sweetest ones; those are only for special occasions.

 

A breakfast without bread can improve your body composition and prevent inflammation chronic.

 

Advantages of eliminating or reducing bread and cereals from your diet:

• You will improve your body composition (less fat and more muscle), the result will depend on the physical exercise you do.
• You will lose fat mainly from the abdomen, measure your perimeters to see the change.
• You will lose weight.
• Your body will deflate, you will notice it immediately.
• You will reduce your anxiety level.
• Most importantly, you will combat chronic inflammation, something that is a consequence not only of diet but also of stress and lack of rest.

 

 

How to start this plan easily:

• Eliminate bread from your diet, all types of bread.
• Eliminate pasta from your diet, all types of pasta.
• Eat legumes twice a week, controlling your portions.
• Eliminate vegetable oils of seeds, especially corn, rapeseed and sunflower. Always use extra virgin olive oil, raw and for cooking.
• Eat oily fish.
• Prioritize white meat and reduce the consumption of red meat, 1 or 2 times a week is enough.
• Eat vegetables, accompany every meal with something green.
• Eat low-carb fruit every day, but don’t bloat.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Limit alcohol consumption, a couple of glasses of wine on the weekend.
• Don’t drink beer or only on special occasions.

 

Improving, changing, taking care of your health, that’s what it’s all about, but it costs money, it requires effort and it requires doing it conscientiously. It’s all up to you.

Leave self-deception behind, they are excuses and ultimately barriers in the path that you put up yourself.

 

Related posts:

• Sugar-free granola.
• Oat, psyllium and chia pudding.
• Sugar-free oat and apple muffins.
• Microwaved almond and coconut sponge cake.