5 changes to make to your morning, according to dietitians

For those of us looking to improve our health, the idea of making a drastic change to our diets can seem overwhelming. If you’re scrolling through endless picture-perfect plates of food on Instagram, it’s easy to assume that any effort to improve our health must be on absolute terms.

But according to two accredited dietitians, a few simple tweaks to your morning routine could be all it takes to create lasting change in your mission to eat well.

Figuratively, not literally, of course. Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to do successfully – especially if you’ve prepared in advance.

“If you’re usually time poor in the morning, get out the breakfast bowls and cereal the night before,” says Clare Collins, a Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle. Having healthy choices ready to go on the counter can stop you from being tempted to skip breakfast or from picking up that sugary muffin on the way to work.

As for what you eat for breakfast? “If you usually have sugar on your cereal, learning to live without will save you 96 kilojoules (23 calories) for every heaped teaspoon you ditch. That’s over two kilograms of sugar per year,” says Clare.

Furthermore, try packing in some of your daily servings of veggies as soon as you wake up. “Almost all of us fall short of meeting our vegetable requirements,” says accredited dietitian Joel Feren from Hearty Nutrition. “In fact, only six per cent of us eat our five recommended serves each day.”

Try incorporating vegetables into your breakfast by preparing a zucchini breakfast loaf or cauliflower muffins the day before. Alternatively, chop and throw a few of your favourite vegetables into an easy omelette.

Make sure you carve out enough time in the morning to set yourself up for a healthy day. Even ten minutes is enough to pack a lunch box with healthy leftovers and snacks.

“By taking food with you to work each day, you’ll be less tempted to buy takeaways and/or hit up the vending machine in the afternoon,” says Joel. “Also, packing healthy treats like nuts, fruit, yoghurt or muesli bars is a great way to stay on track.”

Just because canned and frozen food is more convenient, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unhealthy.

“It’s totally acceptable to use tinned legumes, pre-packaged salad bags, frozen vegetables and cans of tuna,” Joel says. “Most of us, including myself, don’t have time to cook meals from scratch, especially in the morning.”

“Making use of easy-to-use ingredients will make your life a little easier when it comes to meal preparation.” If you are using canned food, just check the ingredient list for any added salt.

There are multiple studies that suggest meditation and mindfulness are a great way to improve our mental health. But meditative practice doesn’t have to be restricted to the yoga mat or your bedroom before you sleep.

According to The Centre for Mindful Eating, preparing and consuming breakfast while distracted has strong links to anxiety, stress and overeating. With this in mind, our dietitians believe that staying present and listening to your body is the best piece of advice they can give you. If you can, try to stay away from work emails or distractions during breakfast time, and make the most of a 15-minute breather at the beginning of the day.

Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances 

Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.