How to make a healthy breakfast

12:35 28 October 2010

Health experts have always warned that missing breakfast can be harmful to your health. Not only does it help to kick start your metabolism therefore stopping obesity, it can also stop stress as you prepare for your day.

We take a look at the ideal breakfasts for you and your family, which are each designed to help with certain ailments you may have.

Get great skin

Your skin can often be a problem not only through your teens but right through adulthood. Breakouts can occur when youÂ’re stressed, drink too much coffee, hormone imbalances or due to the weather.

ItÂ’s therefore important to watch your diet, as well as complete your daily routine of cleansing, toning and moisturising.

Replacing your morning coffee for hot water with lemon, carrot juice or blueberry juice can aid towards having fantastic skin. The vitamins will combat any unruly skin, leaving you fresh faced and ready to tackle the day.

Fruit like berries and tomatoes on toast can also aid towards preventing breakouts, with the lycopene in tomatoes giving protection against the sun.

Let your eyes sparkle

Nothing makes you feel worse in a morning than bags under your eyes. Prevent them by eating an omelette with red pepper and parsley; donÂ’t skip on the wholemeal either!

Red peppers and parsley are known to produce super-nutrient lutein, which can help to protect against sun damage and aging eyes.

For a quick perk, indulge in a gorgeous apricot and mango smoothie, which will be packed with beta carotene which helps to prevent cataracts.

Breakfast = brain food

Ever heard the tale that breakfast is the food for the brain? ItÂ’s correct! Eating certain foods can increase your brain activity, helping you to start the day refreshed and ready for work.

Eating strawberries and blueberries are scientifically proven to boost your brain and help protect against brain ageing. The brightly coloured food will also help to put you in a better mood, making your feel that you can accomplish anything with your day.

Eating kippers can be good too – the oily fish is packed with omega 3 which helps brain function.

A healthy heart

Having a ‘hearty’ breakfast has never meant so much and no, we don’t mean a fry-up with all the trimmings – try porridge and grapefruit juice.

Porridge has long been considered the ideal meal to start the day with, as it slowly releases energy making you less likely to snack in between breakfast and lunch.

Having it with skimmed milk allows you to enjoy without having too much added fats and itÂ’s great for beta-glucan, a fibre helps to prevent the amount of cholesterol that gets into your blood.

Grapefruit juice, though no a favourite of those with a sweet-tooth, is actually one of the best foods for having a super-nutrient called D-glucari acid. Research suggests that this can helps to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the body.

Just breathe

The lungs can often be a problem for many people, especially around winter when flu-season begins, but certain foods can help to maintain a fantastic amount of antioxidants in the body to help fight infections.

Orange juice is ladled with vitamin C, which has the ideal antioxidants needed whilst having mango with Greek yoghurt will keep you fuller for longer.

Add some sunflower seeds for extra vitamin E and zinc, which also protect the lungs against infections.

Helping to digest

For some, digestion is a major problem when it comes to eating; common conditions like IBS can be aggravated by eating the wrong foods.

To have a healthy digestive system, foods that include probiotics are essential as they can aid your digestion and prevent bloating.

Eat yoghurts, bananas and wholegrains, which all have ‘prebiotics’ which provide probiotic bacteria. Wholegrains also have fibre, which helps to bulk stools and aid against constipation and even bowel cancer.