How much?

A good breakfast should provide up to a quarter of the nutrients and energy you need for the day. It should be balanced, containing a mix of carbohydrates, protein, fat, calcium, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

What?

Here are some breakfast ideas that satisfy your energy and nutritional needs…

1 egg + wholegrain toast + fruit or vegetables

Wholegrain toast or roti + vegetables + chicken/tuna/

cheese/cottage cheese

Sandwich/Frankie

Muesli or oats with fruit or dried fruit + milk or soya milk

Besan or dal cheela with vegetables + cottage cheese

A bowl of fruit with a glass of

ow fat lassi or yoghurt

Idli or plain dosa (made with less oil) + sambar + green chutney

Upma or poha with vegetables + buttermilk

Vegetable-stuffed paratha (made with less oil in a non-stick pan) + yoghurt

Roti + sabzi + sattughol/yoghurt

Chire + yoghurt + fruit/nuts

Sprouted salad + buttermilk

For children

Banana or mango or strawberry smoothie/milk-shake

Cold coffee + fruit

Cheese or cottage cheese + vegetables + wholegrain bread

Milk + nuts + dried fruit

Roti wrap or roll of paneer, egg or chicken + vegetables

Tikkis (roasted with a little oil on a non-stick pan) with potato + cottage cheese/chicken + vegetables

Orange juice + wholewheat bread + cheese

Stuffed vegetable paratha + fruit juice/fruit

Beverages

Tea

Hot/ cold coffee

Green tea

Herbal tea

Lassi/ buttermilk

Milkshakes/ smoothies

Lemon water

Barley water

How?

Sounds like a mammoth task? Take heart. Plan your breakfast ahead. Save yourself the early-morning hassle by keeping chopped vegetables, boiled potatoes, cottage cheese and eggs at hand and you can rustle up any dish in just a few minutes. If you want to serve stuffed parathas, tikkis or cutlets, prepare them the night before and just roast them in the morning. In case you run short on time, drink something at home and munch on your way to work. If none of the above works for you, there are plenty of ready-to-eat meals available. Some options are breakfast bars, muesli bars, low-fat flavoured yoghurts, milk in tetra pak and, of course, fruits. Remember to choose the no-added-sugar and low-fat variants.

What time?

You should have breakfast within an hour or two of waking up. It is the first meal of the day and hence should be timed according to your dinner. There should be no more than a 12-hour gap. For those who work at night and go to sleep at 5 in the morning, breakfast will not be at 8am, but should follow after five to eight hours of sleep. For those who have a normal work schedule, the ideal time for breakfast is between 8am and 10.30am, depending on when you wake up. So, rise and shine to a healthy breakfast that gets you going for the day.