I’ve blogged before about striving for a healthy balance when it comes to the foods I eat. I love pizza and I love sweets, but I try to balance these things with plenty of greens and other superfoods in my daily food intake. I also try to make the most out of my meals, remembering that the true point of food is to fuel our bodies and therefore adding things in that give me the most benefits.
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day so why not make it the healthiest it can be to start your day off right? Breakfast is personally my favorite meal and one I find very easy to really supercharge with adding some healthy boosts.
The following are some extra ingredients I add to common breakfast food items. These ingredients give them a healthy boost and additional benefits. The breakfast items I mention are great alone, but why not make them even healthier?
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil. Oh how we love you and all of the amazing things you can do for us. Coconut oil gets a lot of hot press for DYI beauty, oil pulling, etc. but let’s not forget the benefits of consuming coconut oil in our daily diet.
Coconut oil is a healthy fat…a saturated fat that are known for their ability to increase the healthy cholesterol in your body. There are so many other benefits, but some of my favorites are those that benefit the immune system. Coconut oil is antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral. It is also easy to digest, produces a longer sustained energy and increases your metabolism. Winning!
Add a spoonful or two of coconut oil to a smoothie, to hot coffee or tea. You can even add a spoonful to oatmeal. Lastly, I sometimes use a little coconut oil when cooking up eggs.
Avocado
Avocado! Another healthy fat… Avocados are a naturally nutrient-dense food and contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals. Sign me up!
Add avocado to your smoothies. Adding an avocado actually gives smoothies a great smooth and creamy texture. Avocado toast! Spread half an avocado on your bread slices. You can jazz it up with a squeeze of lemon, some pink salt or if you like it spicy, some crushed red pepper. Make a fun Mexican style breakfast bowl, with an egg or two, some veggies, salsa and top it off with some avocado.
Cinnamon
Did you know that according to research, out of 26 of the most popular herbs and spices in the world, cinnamon ranks #1 in terms of its protective antioxidant levels? As little as ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon daily can have positive effects on blood sugar levels, digestion, immunity and more. Add it to your coffee, smoothies, oatmeal… I also buy plain organic greek yogurt and add cinnamon to give it some flavor and then throw some fresh berries on top. Save a few calories and consume less sugar than buying and consuming the yogurt with fruit, sugar and other additives.
Turmeric
Like cinnamon, turmeric is a powerful spice with a long list of uses and benefits. It’s known for its antioxidant content and ability to work as an anti-inflammatory in the body. This one you will have to play around with, because some people don’t like the flavor of turmeric, but I don’t really notice it. I add turmeric to my smoothies and coffee and personally love the flavor if I notice it at all.
Bee Pollen, Flax & Chia Seeds
Did you know bee pollen is considered one of nature’s most completely nourishing foods? It contains nearly all nutrients required by humans. About half of its protein is in the form of free amino acids that are ready to be used directly by the body.
Flaxseed is a high-fiber super food! High in omega-3 essential fatty acids or “good fats” that have been shown to have heart healthy effects.
In addition to chia seeds being an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids similar to flax, they are also rich in antioxidants and provide fiber, iron, and calcium.
These are all great to sprinkle on top of yogurt or oatmeal or add to smoothies. You can even whip up your own granola and add flax and chia seeds to some oats and honey.
Spinach & Kale
Spinach and kale both serve as excellent sources of vitamin K, A, and iron. I always add greens to my smoothie. It’s the perfect way to make an average smoothie so much healthier. I strive to get greens into at least 2 out of my 3 meals each day to aid in digestion and to increase overall vitamin and mineral intake. I do not taste the difference when I throw a handful of spinach in my smoothie, but kale does tend to alter the taste a bit if you are sensitive, just an FYI. I also cut up spinach and add it to eggs!
Hope this gives you some new ideas to help you supercharge and make the most out of the most important meal of the day.
Lots of love and good health,
Tasha, The Non-Toxic Newbie
non-toxic newbie 