Top 5 Items that Make up a Complete Breakfast

1. Protein. After sleeping for seven or eight hours and not eating anything, your body is in a state in which muscle is being broken down. An easy way to reverse this is to eat a food that is high in good quality protein. A great example of this type of food is an egg. Egg whites are made up of complete and easily absorbed proteins. No matter how you prepare them, eggs will help your body snap out of its fasting state.

2. Turkey. If you really like your eggs with pork products, (bacon, sausage) try turkey ones instead. Turkey bacon can have 1/4 of the total amount of calories that pork bacon has and is much lower in saturated fat. By trying turkey, you may find that the tastes are very similar.

3. Fruit. A piece of a fruit is an easy way to start your morning off if you’re in a hurry. The sugar in the fruit will give you a quick burst of energy to get you going while the vitamins and minerals will help you get a healthy start to your day. You should combine the simple sugar in a fruit with complex carbs for long lasting energy without a sugar crash.

4. Complex Carbohydrates. Whole wheat foods will give you those complex carbs and keep you from crashing. Sources include whole wheat bagels, toast, oatmeal and some cereals (read the ingredients). Complex carbs will also keep you full for a longer period of time than sugars causing you to eat less throughout the day which can help with weight loss.

5. Orange Juice. Orange juice (or any fruit juice) is another good way of adding some quick energy to your morning. Orange juice also contains a high amount of vitamin C which can keep your immune system healthy in case you have a stressful day ahead of you or are taking part in a strenuous workout schedule. Make sure you check the ingredient label of any fruit juice you’re using. If it has any added sugar, find another one.