Healthy breakfast ideas for the impossibly early mornings

BREAKFAST is one of the most important meals of the day, but how do you squeeze in a nutritious meal in time for morning lectures without sacrificing precious sleep? Trinity College Foundation Studies students  Blessey Lee and Linxi Shan offer some useful tips and recipes.

Let’s face it, it’s challenge making it to an 8am class on time, let alone waking up in time to make a nutritious breakfast.

Students at Trinity admit breakfasts are often a rushed affair. For Singapore student Yi Ying, early morning breakfasts usually consists of white bread with Nutella, and for Hong Kong student Winky, her morning go-tos are a muffin and fruit juice from a nearby cafe on the way to class.

While tasty, the downsides to these breakfast choices is that they are full of sugar.

Cate Charles, Trinity College’s school nurse, says students should stay away from breakfast foods containing high levels of sugar, such as cakes, muffins and banana bread.

According to Cate, sugary foods are digested quickly, and gets stored as fat in our bodies. The initial energy “rush” students experience also very quickly leads to a crash in energy levels. You see the effects of that when you find yourself feeling tired and unable to concentrate in class.

The way around it is not to skip breakfast altogether, however, says Cate. Rather, it is about finding recipes that are both easy to make and nutritious – with high levels of protein, which will give you the energy to start your day right and keep you feeling full for a longer period of time.

Great breakfast foods include whole wheat bread, eggs, meat, oat meal, muesli with nuts and milk.

Cate says another common mistake students make is consuming drinks that are high in sugar, including fruit juice.

“Drinking fruit juice is just like drinking Coca Cola with high level of sugar,” says Cate.

The next time you’re thinking of reaching for a fruit juice for breakfast, Cate recommends alternatives such as Up&Go Liquid Breakfast, because it contains high level of protein and fibre, which can help repair your body and give you energy to concentrate in class. There are many different categories of the Up&Go Liquid Breakfast in the supermarkets, and try to choose those with the least sugar.

So how do you have both a healthy breakfast and make it to early morning classes on time? Here we offer you some low-cost, time-saving and delicious breakfast ideas.

Porridge

Porridge (or oats) is a staple in many Australian households, and can easily be found in supermarkets. It’s packed full of protein, essential to helping you kickstart your day. It’s also a great option for students who are allergic to nuts, eggs, dairy and soy. Other positives – you don’t have to use the stove, and only takes you five minutes!

Photo: Linxi Shan

Ingredients

• 50g porridge oat
• 1 cup of milk or water/soy milk if you are lactose intolerant
• 1/2 cup of fruits such as banana, strawberry, blueberry and kiwi

Method

Put the porridge oat in a bowl, add milk/water/soy milk, microwave for 90 seconds, top with fruits, and you’re done!

Smoked Salmon Wrap

This is another easy recipe to try, and the best part, you can make it and eat it on your way to class!

Photo: Linxi Shan

Ingredients

• 2 slices of smoked salmon
• 1 piece of lettuce
• 1/2 avocado
• Small handful of parmesan cheese
• 1 soft wrap
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Start by placing a piece of cling wrap on a plate. Place your soft wrap on the plate, arrange your ingredients in the middle of the wrap, wrap it up, and enjoy!

This story was produced by Media and Communication students at Trinity College Foundation Studies as part of Meld’s community newsroom collaboration. Education institutions, student clubs/societies and community groups interested in being involved can get in touch with us via meld@meldmagazine.com.au.