From baked goods to pancakes, from juices to centrifuges, from biscuits to jams to spreads: breakfast can always be different and inviting, full of fruits and colors, following the rhythm of the seasons. Word of the nutritionist. Michelangelo Giampietro, specialist in Food Science and Sports Medicine, in collaboration with the portal ‘Io Comincio Bene’, has developed three menu proposals for a healthy and balanced ‘winter’ breakfast, based on three different consumption occasions or lifestyles: light, reinforced or greedy.
“Having to face the low winter temperaturesthe body must be enabled to produce heat to compensate for the external cold: thermogenesis must be activated. This mechanism has a cost in terms of energy, which we produce and recover by eating. In the morning we wake up after 8 hours of night fasting: hence, the need to consume a good breakfast to rebalance the stocks and losses of fluids that occurred at night, even simply by breathing, and to ensure a good level of blood sugar, i.e. concentration. blood glucose. Those who skip breakfast, on the other hand, risk experiencing hypoglycemia accompanied by exhaustion, poor concentration, sweating and headaches. On the other hand, consuming the first meal of the day every day also cheers the psyche: sharing, for example, breakfast with those we love helps us to better face the day ahead “, explains Giampietro.
But what is best to eat in the morning in winter? According to the expert, “everyone can choose what to bring to the table according to their preferences: the important thing is that breakfast is done every day. Obviously, in winter, it is better to prefer hot drinks such as milk, alone or with cereals, coffee, barley, tea, herbal teas, but no ban on an orange juice or a centrifuged, preferably at temperature. environment. Green light also to yogurt in its variants, for example Greek or in the classic version, or, alternatively, to fermented milk: these foods are useful as they act favorably on the intestinal microbiota (the population of bacteria present in our intestine). In winter, not only drinks but also food can be consumed ‘hot’, such as baked desserts, homemade or industrial and, for those who love a savory breakfast, a toast with ham and cheese or eggs, better if cooked soft-boiled because they are more digestible “.
Good news for those who love big breakfasts. “During the winter months we can indulge in a more indulgent meal than usual in the morning. In fact, low temperatures, as well as physical activity, favor some internal mechanisms that lead the body to lose heat: this phenomenon promotes weight loss, which is why in winter it is right to bring more food to the table in the morning as compensation. Furthermore, each food has its own energy density (which is equivalent to the number of calories it provides per gram of nutrient): carbohydrates provide 3.75 kcal / g, proteins 4 kcal / g and fats 9 kcal / g. When it is particularly cold, we can eat something more in the morning even in terms of fatty foods as long as we do not overdo it and do not work too hard on digestion “, concludes Giampietro.
Yes to the daily consumption of a seasonal fruit, especially in the colder months. “Fresh fruit represents one of the three components, in addition to solid and liquid foods, to be taken daily. It is better to consume it in whole pieces and not squeezed or centrifuged, so as not to lose the beneficial effect of the fiber on the intestine. Fruit is also rich. of vitamins, minerals, sugars and water. In winter, green light for kiwifruit, oranges and mandarins, without excluding pears and apples. In fact, dried fruit in shell also provides the body with essential fatty acids and can be consumed alone or in combination with yogurt and honey “, explains the expert.
And here are the three menu proposals: light, reinforced or greedy for three different consumption occasions.
Light breakfast
The first is the light breakfast for sedentary people. “If we are sedentary – continues the expert – our food ration must be reduced in all five meals of the day, therefore also at breakfast, which must be less abundant, but still represent 20-25% of the total energy we introduce. in the body during the day. In our typical menu we can include: a drink, a solid food, a fruit. For sedentary people it is recommended: 1 glass of milk or alternatively 1 jar of yogurt, better skimmed or partially skimmed, with 3-4 wholemeal rusks or 2 slices of toast (preferably wholemeal) or 30g of cereals and 1 fruit “.
Sports breakfast (reinforced)
No. 2: breakfast for athletes. “The sportsman’s menu changes according to the time of physical activity: if training takes place early in the morning and close to mealtime, it is better to eat just before playing sports, bring a replenishment rich in carbohydrates to be used during physical activity and then have a second breakfast after training. If you train later, breakfast can be abundant. For athletes it is recommended: 1 glass of milk or 1 jar of yogurt with 30-50g of cereals, honey and 3 walnuts or with 4-6 rusks or 3-4 dry biscuits with jam or with spreadable cream or, again, with a baked dessert (tart, plumcake, donut, pancake) . All always accompanied by seasonal fruit “, explains Giampietro.
Delicious weekend breakfast
No. 3: at the weekend, a delicious breakfast for everyone. “Those who prefer a sweet Italian breakfast at the weekend can enjoy a nice hot chocolate with 3-4 dry biscuits or with a richer baked cake than usual, such as pancakes with jams, honey or spreads, or even make a good porridge with cereals and dried fruit, which has become a must for breakfast in recent years. Do not forget the fresh fruit as well. Those who like a savory breakfast, on the other hand, can opt, depending on their tastes, for a toast with cheese and ham or bresaola or salmon, or for soft-boiled eggs “, concludes the expert.
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