From Apple Jacks to cheese omelettes, blueberry pancakes to leftover pizza, there are a zillion and one potential choices for breakfast these days.
But some options are definitely more nutrient-rich than others. So what would a dietitian’s No. 1 pick be? And how can we get more good stuff into our bodies first thing in the morning without sacrificing deliciousness?
That’s the question that we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, the hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast ― had for Lisa Moskovitz, a registered dietitian, certified dietitian-nutritionist and the CEO of NY Nutrition Group, when she dropped by our studio to offer her tips and tricks for doing breakfast better.
Listen to the full episode by pressing play:
Moskovitz’s breakfast all-star is chia seeds, which are harvested from Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family.
“It’s a superfood because of all of the nutritional properties that it has, from fiber and magnesium to B vitamins and iron, and there’s a little protein in there,” the author of “The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan” told us.
They also contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep our brains and hearts healthy and have been shown to reduce inflammation.
“It’s great for regulating digestion,” Moskovitz added, “so for people that struggle … with constipation and regularities, chia seeds are a great source of insoluble and soluble fiber.”
In fact, just one serving of chia seeds — typically two to three tablespoons — offers nearly 10 grams of fiber, which is one-third of the recommended daily intake for most people. Fiber not only helps with digestion by bulking and softening stools; it’s been found to lower the risk for many dangerous health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Chia seeds are also incredibly versatile and can be easily added to countless breakfast favorites to boost their nutritional benefits.
“You can sprinkle them in your yogurt, you can put them in your oatmeal, you can even sprinkle them on your avocado toast, in your eggs, in your coffee, and you can just take them in water,” Moskovitz suggested. “You can soak them in your almond milk or dairy milk or any or oat milk and leave them in the fridge overnight, and that’s a great grab-and-go.”
By making tiny tweaks — including adding chia seeds or other nutrient-packed foods like nuts and fruit — to our tried and true breakfast go-tos, we can score more of what our bodies need without missing out on our morning favorites.
“Stop worrying about what to cut out and just think about what we can add in,” she advised.
Moskovitz also chatted with us about the ideal time to eat breakfast, what to know before you eat another egg, the four things to add to every smoothie, and much more.
Listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.
For more from Lisa Moskovitz, visit NY Nutrition Group and follow her on Instagram.
Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at [email protected], and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.