Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for many. Accordingly, the first meal of the day is often very sumptuous – but the feeling of hunger reappears after a relatively short time.
In this article, you will learn how to eat a healthy and low-calorie breakfast without having to starve for the next few hours. Because in this article, we will not only analyze what makes a healthy breakfast, but also explain how you can integrate all the healthy components and still eat a low-calorie breakfast.
That's why it's worth having a low-calorie breakfast every now and then
Occasionally eating a low-calorie breakfast has some benefits. If you are pursuing the goal of reducing your weight , a calorie reduction is, of course, the means of choice. But even if you're not after a weight loss success, you can benefit from lower-calorie meals .
Breakfast is undoubtedly very important, but it can't hurt to reduce calories a bit. Because especially early in the morning, the stomach is not yet in full swing, which is why the food can quite literally lie in the stomach. There are two ways to prevent this.
On the one hand, you have the opportunity to reduce the calories of your breakfast so as not to overload your body. On the other hand, you can use breakfast options that do not put too much strain on your body, for example, by being easily digestible . An example of this is warm oatmeal, also known as porridge , which is easy to digest due to its method of preparation and yet keeps you full for a long time.
But to understand why some foods saturate better, even though they are lower in calories, we need to look at the components that are responsible for it.
These components make a healthy breakfast
The reason we just can't get enough of some foods, while others keep us fuller longer, even in smaller amounts, is because of the nutrients. These can be divided into macronutrients and micronutrients.
Fats and carbohydrates – the economic energy suppliers
The macronutrients are the energy suppliers and thus together form the calorie content of a product. The main sources of energy are fats and carbohydrates.
Fats are not only important as flavor carriers , but also fulfill a variety of important functions in the body . In addition to their function as the most economical energy supplier, they form a protective layer for your organs , keep your body warm and are even part of your cells . In addition, they act as flavor carriers in your breakfast and keep you full for a long time due to their high energy content . However, you should make sure to only consume fat in moderation and to rely largely on healthy fats.
The carbohydrates , in turn, provide your body with abundant, comparatively quickly available energy . A distinction must be made between long-chain and short-chain carbohydrates . The long-chain carbohydrates keep you full for a long time , as they only slowly raise your blood sugar level.
The short-chain carbohydrates , in turn, are available faster—that is, they enter your bloodstream faster. Thus, they are excellent as a fast energy supplier , but the blood sugar level drops just as quickly as it has risen. And that leads to a feeling of hunger again after a short time.
| Short-chain carbohydrates | Long-chain carbohydrates |
| Sugary foods | Starch- and fiber-rich foods |
| Sweetened cereals, dairy products, sweet baked goods | Whole grains, oatmeal, quinoa |
Here's a delicious recipe for a filling breakfast with long-chain carbohydrates:
Oatmeal breakfast with strawberries – super TASTY!
Ingredients
- 40 g oatmeal
- 180 ml plant-based drink
- 15 g coconut flakes
- 100 g strawberries
Preparation
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First, take a bowl and add the oatmeal together with the plant drink.
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Then mix in the coconut flakes and mix everything together well.
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Then put the oatmeal breakfast in the fridge for about 3 hours or overnight.
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When the oatmeal has dissolved in the liquid, remove the bowl from the refrigerator.
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Next, puree a few strawberries and pour them over your overnight oats.
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Now you can refine the overnight oats with toppings of your choice. For example, you can use nuts, various seeds such as flaxseed, psyllium (psyllium husks) or chia seeds and, of course, fruit.
Nutritional values
Proteins and micronutrients – the building blocks for a healthy body
In addition to fats and carbohydrates, there are also proteins . Although these are relatively uneconomical as energy sources, they are essential for your body. This is because they consist of amino acids , which in turn are important building blocks for the body's own structures , such as muscles . Integrated into the breakfast, they not only serve as vital building blocks of your body, but are also excellent as satiators .
In addition to macronutrients, there are also micronutrients . Although these are not necessarily known as satiating, they fulfill a wide variety of functions in the body, which is why they are an important part of a healthy breakfast.
Another important part of any meal is fiber . They are mostly found in plant foods and ensure a healthy intestinal flora and thus good digestion. In addition, they saturate you extremely well due to their swelling properties. That's why we've compiled a list of our high-fiber favorites , which, by the way, are extremely suitable as a topping for your yogurt, porridge or cereal.
- (Whole-grain) oatmeal and oat bran
- Nuts: walnut, almond, cashew nuts, etc.
- Seeds: linseeds, chia seeds, and psyllium husks
- Pseudocereals: quinoa, buckwheat, bulgur
Recipe: Carrot Cake Porridge
Ingredients
- 50 g oatmeal
- 200 ml oat drink or another plant drink variant or water (for an even lower calorie variant)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 grated carrots
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp almond sauce
- 1 tbsp walnuts (optional)
Preparation
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Grate the carrots first and then put them in a pot.
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Then add the oatmeal and the plant drink. If you want to save extra calories, you can also replace half of the plant drink with water.
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Then add the salt and some cinnamon to the pot.
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Now boil the porridge for about 5-7 minutes. When the porridge is almost ready and already nice and creamy, take the pot off the stove and stir some almond butter into your porridge.
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Then place the porridge in a bowl. Now you can refine the oatmeal with toppings of your choice, such as delicious walnuts.
How to make a breakfast under 300 calories
In summary, a healthy, filling breakfast consists of the following components: healthy fats , long-chain carbohydrates , satiating proteins and plenty of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
We will now take a closer look at how you can integrate all these components into your breakfast without going overboard.
Fats are the most energy-rich components of your meal. One gram of fat has a proud nine calories. For comparison, carbohydrates and proteins amount to four kilocalories per gram.
How to make a low-calorie porridge
Now let's say the goal is 300 calories for your breakfast. In this case, we use porridge as an exemplary morning meal.
With this recipe, you're guaranteed a low-calorie porridge:
Breakfast Recipe: Low Calorie Weight Loss Porridge (Sugar Free)
Ingredients
- 50 g oatmeal
- 1 pinch of salt
- 130 ml water
- To taste: Healthy toppings e.g. berries (such as blueberries), chia seeds, flax seeds, healthy oils, fresh fruits or dried fruits (such as apricots or plums) Attention: dried fruits contain many calories
Preparation
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Heat the water (for example in a kettle)
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Put the oatmeal in a bowl with the pinch of salt
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Pour the boiling water into the bowl
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Stir the porridge well until it reaches a creamy consistency
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Decorate it with your toppings
Nutritional values
The basis is usually oatmeal . 50 grams of this amount to around 170 calories . Of this, 27.5 grams, i.e. about 110 calories, are accounted for by (mostly long-chain) carbohydrates. Around 20 calories (5.2 grams) are accounted for by proteins and around 29 calories (3.2 grams) by fats. Oats are also an excellent source of minerals and contain a healthy portion of fiber .
Water is suitable as a low-calorie liquid for boiling the oatmeal. This has no calories and still serves its purpose. What's missing now are healthy micronutrient sources.
Berries , for example, are excellent because they are not only rich in healthy vitamins , but also give your porridge a sweet taste . In addition, they have an extremely low energy density – 100 grams of raspberries, for example, contain only 33 calories .
So far, your porridge has only around 200 calories. To give your breakfast a unique taste, you should top it with seeds or nuts. These ideally provide healthy fats, plenty of fiber for healthy digestion and an extra dose of protein for strong muscles.
Chia seeds , for example, do not have a reputation as a superfood for nothing. Around ten grams are sufficient as a topping for your oatmeal . This supposedly small portion already provides you with some protein, around three grams of fiber and yet only provides about 30 calories .
How to refine your porridge low in calories
Either you leave it at around 230 kilocalories, or you fill up the remaining calories with ingredients of your choice. For example, if you like your oatmeal chocolatey , some cocoa powder is recommended. It is best to mix this into your oat-water mixture right from the start so that it can unfold its full flavor. Ten grams of heavily de-oiled cocoa powder amounts to around 29 calories .
Nuts are another healthy and tasty option . They are rich in healthy fatty acids, contain plenty of high-quality proteins and, in addition, a variety of micronutrients. Almonds or cashews , for example, do extremely well in your breakfast porridge. However, nuts are very high in calories due to their high fat content, which is why in this case less is more 😉
As you can see, there are a variety of ways to make your breakfast tasty yet low in calories. You can get inspiration from our recipes – some of which are already designed to be extra low in calories. Of course, you can take the others as inspiration and adapt them to your wishes 😉
Do you actually know your daily calorie requirement? Use Verival's free calorie calculator now.
