Low-calorie breakfast: how to prepare it?

When looking to lose a little weight, it is necessary to make some dietary changes. However, this does not mean that you should skip meals or stop eating. It is more a question of establishing a slightly low-calorie diet. And of course, breakfast is no exception to the rule. Here are some explanations about the ideal low-calorie breakfast.

Is it important to have breakfast?

To this question, a precise point of answer. Although breakfast is recommended by the majority of health authorities, it has been proven time and time again that removing breakfast will have no impact on weight (neither positive nor negative). Moreover, a few rules prevail:

• It is necessary to have breakfast if you feel hungry. Physiological reactions to hunger (gurgling belly, low energy, yawning, headache) indicate that the body needs caloric intake. It is therefore a question of answering it by eating. Moreover, if one does not feel hungry when you wake up, there is no obligation to eat. It is better to wait for hunger to manifest itself, even at a later time. In which case we will give ourselves a light breakfast, which will quench the hunger until lunchtime.
• Eating in the morning allows you to recharge your batteries for the morning and feel less hungry during the day.
• Hydration upon awakening is necessary, because the body, after a night of fasting, needs to be rehydrated. Also, it is advisable to drink, whether it is water, a hot drink, or a freshly squeezed fruit.
• Breakfast should be balanced. According to the National Health Nutrition Plan, this meal must consist of at least one sugar-free cereal product, one dairy product, one fruit, and one drink. People with moderate to intense physical activity should supplement this meal with a serving of protein, such as an egg or a slice of ham.

What is a low-calorie breakfast?

The PNNS specifies that a "normal" breakfast should cover 20-25% of the recommended daily nutritional intake, or 500 kcal for an adult. Talking about a low-calorie breakfast, therefore, means that the meal should not exceed this amount of calories, or even "weigh" less. However, it is important that breakfast, if it is low-calorie, is balanced (intake of essential macronutrients) and sufficiently satiating to avoid bar strokes, untimely hunger, and, ultimately, deleterious snacks to weight. It is therefore a question of following a few simple rules:

During the night, the body continues to burn calories and naturally draws on its reserves. In the morning, he needs "fuel". It is therefore essential to consume carbohydrates. But they should be preferred the complex and with a low glycemic index, to avoid any insulin peak.

In addition, a low-calorie breakfast should include low-calorie but satietogenic foods. We can therefore bet on two types of foods: fiber, for its "appetite suppressant" effect, and proteins because they are long to digest. But the latter will have to be lean, that is to say, low in fat, to avoid any storage.

The notion of balance prevails, so each meal (including breakfast) should bring its share of vitamins. These are particularly numerous in fruits. On the other hand, we will always prefer a whole fruit to a fruit juice: the former contains less sugar and more fiber, so it will be healthier, less caloric, and endowed with better satietogenic power.

Fast sugars (except fructose from fruit) should be excluded. Not only do they trigger a rapid rise in blood sugar (and an equally sharp drop, so guaranteed cravings), but also fat storage. Not to mention that they are high in calories, so not really relevant in the composition of a low-calorie breakfast.

Low-calorie breakfast: some examples

Example 1

Here is a first low-calorie breakfast option, which should allow you to keep control of your weight, provided of course that the other meals of the day are reasonable and balanced.

• Omelet of two eggs, cooked with a drizzle of oil: 150 kcal.
• Two slices of rye bread: 130 kcal.
• A cup of tea or coffee with a cloud of semi-skimmed milk: 10 kcal.
• One apple: 75 kcal.
• Total: 365 kcal.

Example 2

If you are more tempted by an all-in-one "recipe", and are naturally greedy, you can opt for the cereals option. But be careful, you will have to choose them carefully. We recommend a bowl of porridge complete, containing:

• 50 g oatmeal:175 kcal
• 100 ml of unsweetened soy milk: 40 kcal.
• 100 g of various red fruits: 30 kcal.
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter: 115 kcal.
• One cup of green tea: 0 kcal.
• Total: 360 kcal.

Example 3

Finally, if you are not put off by salty in the morning, and are looking to increase your protein intake, you can choose a low-calorie breakfast of this type:

• Two crispy Wasa-type toasts: 70 kcal.
• Two slices of white ham: 120 kcal.
• 100 g of cottage cheese: 90 kcal.
• Two kiwis: 90 kcal.
• 5 almonds: 35 kcal.
• A cup of tea without milk: 0 kcal.
• Total: 405 kcal.