Healthy breakfast makes a healthy student

By Yera Nanan |Staff Writer|

Nothing is more satisfying than a nutritious meal before tackling the day.

When dealing with strenuous classes, making it to places on time and extra-curricular activities— college students may find that making time for breakfast can be difficult.

Even if a student decides to have something for breakfast in the morning, it’s more than likely something with little to no nutritional value.

“Things like Pop-Tarts that will have genetically modified ingredients, synthetic sugars and all the things that cause inflammation in the body,” said Licensed Nutritionist Lisa Fiore.

Breakfast foods like Pop-Tarts, sugary cereals and other pre-packaged market goods are toxic to the immune system in the human body.

“Everybody contains good bacteria or probiotics that make up 85 percent of the immune system and work within the digestive system to break down different foods,” stated Fiore.

Having one Pop-Tart in the morning or a bowl cereal before class one day won’t hurt your body. It’s an accumulation of these foods over time that will harm the body.

The closer the food is to its natural form, the better it is for your body. Anything unnatural will be toxic.

Berries, coconut butter, and raw whole fat milk are very nutritious to consume in the morning. Regular store bought milk, butter and non-organic fruit are not good for you.

“Coconut butter has natural sugar and fat that feeds the body and doesn’t make you sick,” said Fiore.

“If you have fresh fruit, the natural sugars in it are what feed the body which is why raw whole fat milk is also good, it’s not pasteurized,” continued Fiore.

Natural and organic foods will feed the cells in our body which will keep the body healthy and functioning which is needed in before classes in the morning.

“All these boxed cereals are not healthy since they create problems for the body and they’re going to make you sick,” said Fiore.

Many students decide to down a bowl a cereal to start their day off, but there are better alternatives.

“If someone wants cereal they should eat organic steel cut oatmeal,” continued Fiore.

Organic steel cut oats take roughly 15 minutes to make and the benefits of eating them for breakfast are plentiful.

Adding berries to the oatmeal brings a handful of antioxidants to the body while oatmeal itself is known to lower cholesterol.

Honey and sugar should not be added to oatmeal or any food in general since they contain a lot of unhealthy fructose and genetically modified organisms.

Taking care of the animals that produce the eggs, cheese, and milk we may consume in the morning is important as well.

When cows or chickens are fed unnatural things, the milk and eggs they produce are not natural. If we want to consume the animal we are also at risk of consuming toxins.

Though most supermarkets sell these types of foods and products there are convenient and affordable stores to purchase organic and natural products.

“Sprouts, Clarks, Whole Foods and even Smart and Final’s are getting non-GMO foods,” said Fiore.

“If you start to eat nutrient-rich foods and eat at a cellular level, you’ll begin to eat less,” added Fiore.

Consuming breakfast or items from McDonald’s or Jack-In-The-Box over time will actually cause you to eat more and eat unhealthy.

Student Tanner Christian, who is a local DJ and event promoter, is always busy and has to have the energy to handle his business.

“I eat breakfast every single day, whether eggs, chicken and spinach which is all healthy,” said Tanner.

“I started eating healthier in general and started to lose weight and I could see a positive difference in my body from eating a healthy breakfast,” continued Tanner.

One quick and easy recipe that is great to consume in the morning is banana & almond butter toast.

Simply take a piece of toasted Rye bread, spread almond butter over it and top with banana slices. This is low in cholesterol and saturated fat.

Licensed Nutritionist Adda Bjarandottir states that bananas contain nutrients that moderate blood sugar levels and contain a good amount of fiber.

This will leave you full for most of your day while the almond butter helps to boost your metabolism. Peanut butter may give you of an energy boost but almond butter has an advantage in the nutrients and healthy fats it contains.

When it’s about time to have a bite for breakfast, remember the healthier food choices and practice good eating habits.