Breakfast plays a crucial role in our health. This meal provides energy to the body after a long night, and skipping it can leave you tired and sluggish, not to mention harmful to your stomach.
However, many Vietnamese people do not fully realize the importance of breakfast and only eat to satisfy their hunger, often opting for instant noodles, fried rice, or pho. While these dishes may be delicious, eating them regularly is not truly beneficial for our health.
Is it good for your health to have rice porridge, noodles, or pho for breakfast?
Dr. Tu Ngu, Secretary General of the Vietnam Nutrition Association, shared his thoughts on this issue: When it comes to breakfast, the most important thing is to eat scientifically and reasonably. It should be a balanced meal. However, the breakfast of most Vietnamese people is not well-balanced.
Regarding rice porridge and noodles, Dr. Tu Ngu explained: Regardless of the chosen dish, breakfast is still lacking in balance in terms of nutrients. For example, rice porridge contains protein and fat from mung beans, oil, and fried shallots, but in small amounts. The main component of this dish is carbohydrates. As for various types of noodles like bun cha or bun ca, they contain more nutrients and are richer in protein compared to porridge, but they are limited in fiber and vitamins.
Therefore, he concluded: If we compare the quality, a bowl of noodles is more balanced than a pack of rice porridge. However, if the criterion is to satisfy hunger, noodles cannot compete with rice porridge.
He also advised people: Breakfast should include starch (carbohydrates) and should be supplemented with plenty of vegetables. Starch accounts for 50% of the meal and is very important for health. However, many people nowadays reduce their starch intake, especially during breakfast, in order to lose weight, which is very dangerous.
In summary, breakfast should be supplemented with plenty of vegetables. They are cheap yet essential foods, whether you eat rice porridge, noodles, or pho for breakfast.
In addition, the following foods are also great for breakfast:
Eggs
Eggs are a popular breakfast choice in most countries around the world. They are high in protein, easy to prepare, and help create a feeling of fullness, which promotes controlled eating and weight management.
Berries
Berries, including strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, are delicious and healthy choices for breakfast. They are low in calories, high in fiber, and rich in antioxidants that fight against diseases.
Berries have distinctive red and purple colors due to anthocyanin, an antioxidant compound found in them. Studies have shown that consuming berries with anthocyanins regularly helps fight inflammation, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Corn
Nutrition experts say that one medium-sized boiled corn weighing about 164 grams contains 177 calories and is rich in omega-6 fatty acids and fiber. These are beneficial for the digestive system and provide energy to intestinal cells. As a result, it can prevent intestinal diseases, including cancer.
Sweet potatoes
Nutrition experts affirm that including sweet potatoes in your breakfast is very beneficial for health. It provides sufficient energy and complete nutrition to start a new day.
Sweet potatoes are also rich in nutrients such as protein, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B1, and more than 10 essential trace elements for human health.
Bananas
Starting the day with bananas is also a suitable choice. This fruit is rich in fiber and low in calories. Therefore, it can be a suitable alternative to starch-rich and oily dishes like noodles and pho.
A large banana contains around 100 calories, but it provides 4-5 grams of fiber (about 15% of the recommended daily fiber intake). This helps control the amount of food you consume.
Additionally, eating bananas in the morning stimulates digestive activity and speeds up metabolism. Bananas also help balance sodium levels in the body, effectively controlling it.