When “the most important meal of the day” rolls around, it’s crucial to ensure you’re nourishing your body with everything it needs to take on the day—especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Unfortunately, many breakfast foods out there (like cereals and pastries) are packed with carbs and sugar while offering little nutrients. Over time, consuming these foods on a regular basis can lead to weight gain. However, there are plenty of nutrient-packed options that, when eaten in moderation each day, can support healthy weight loss.
To discover two of the best nutrient-rich breakfast foods you can eat every morning without gaining weight, we spoke to health experts Trista Best, dietitian for Balance One, and Lisa Richards, nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet. They told us that oatmeal and poached eggs are two weight loss-friendly options. Learn more below!
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Oatmeal
If you're looking for a filling and delicious breakfast, it doesn't get much better than oatmeal. That's why Richards recommends eating a hearty bowl for breakfast each morning if you want to maintain your weight; it offers tons of weight loss-friendly benefits.
For starters, Richards says that oatmeal is "relatively low in calories compared to other breakfast foods," pointing out that one cup of cooked oatmeal is around 150 calories. This meal is also packed with both soluble and insoluble fiber, "which can help you feel full and satisfied for longer periods." As she explains, "When you feel full, you are less likely to overeat, which can help you avoid gaining weight," so choosing filling breakfasts like this one is a great way to support your weight loss goals.
Additionally, oats are nutrient-dense, packing in tons of important nutrients like iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. "These nutrients are important for maintaining a healthy body weight and overall health," Richards says. Nice!
Poached eggs
Eggs are another fantastic breakfast food that you can eat a serving of each morning without having to worry about putting on extra pounds. And Best this is even true for poached eggs, as decadent as they may feel.
Just like oatmeal, one of the biggest benefits of eggs (including the poached variety) is the fact that they're protein-packed. "Poached eggs are a great source of protein, which can help you feel full and satisfied for longer periods of time, reducing the likelihood of overeating and snacking between meals," Best confirms.
In addition to all that protein, poached eggs are also a good source of many different nutrients, like vitamins B12, D, selenium, and choline, which Best says "are important for overall health and wellness." Poached eggs are low in calories, too, which means you're getting all of those nutrients without putting yourself at risk of weight gain.
There are plenty of tasty ways to add poached eggs to your breakfast—or any meal, for that matter. Best recommends adding them to salads, sandwiches, avocado toast, and anything else your heart desires.
The bottom line
Of course, the key to any healthy diet is moderation. There's no miracle food that you can eat all day, every day without gaining weight. However, eating a healthy serving of nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods every morning is one way to maintain your weight and even shed a few pounds over time—and oatmeal and poached eggs are two great, delicious options to enjoy each day!
