Healthy Breakfast Recipe: Learning to Enjoy Whole Grains without added Sugars
When it comes to creating new healthy lifestyle habits, I work in stages, to avoid overwhelming myself and to hopefully encourage permanent change. For diet that means starting with what comes first, breakfast.
My goal for the New Year is to continue cutting back on added sugars, whether in the form of honey, maple, or plain old sugar. I want to enjoy a daily sweet treat, but keep the sugars where they belong, in dessert. For my first step, I’ve enacted a no added sugars before noon policy to help me avoid a crash early in the day, and start my day off right with a healthy breakfast.
Added sugars hide in many breakfast foods, including that so-called “healthy” breakfast cereal. That said, switching from a sweetened cereal to unsweetened whole grains can be a shock to the taste buds. To ease into it, I add fresh fruit, cinnamon, dried fruit when I need an extra sweet-hit, and sometimes a wee bit of stevia to unsweetened milk alternative. This livens up the flavors, and sometimes makes me forget that I’m eating a healthy breakfast!
If you aren’t quite ready for the low sugar, fruit-sweetened option in my recipe below, then I have a few other ease-into-it solutions for you:
- Buy unsweetened rice or grain milk, which naturally contains more sugars and is sweeter, or try the “original” version of a milk alternative (almond, coconut, soy, flax, sunflower seed, or hemp). They are usually lightly sweetened (6 grams of sugars per cup seems to be the norm), but still contain less sugars than dairy milk (yes, the lactose in milk is a type of sugar!).
- Add just 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of your favorite sweetener to the cereal. Using an unsweetened cereal allows you to control the sugars on your own. You can gradually reduce the amount of added sugars you have as your taste buds adapt. One teaspoon of plain old sugar contains 4 grams of sugars.
- Try a “starter” cereal. The cereal aisle holds a wide range of sugars, so if you aren’t ready for sugar-free, start with a low sugar option. I like the Uncle Sam Honey Almond Cereal, but they have two other entry-level healthy breakfast cereal like Strawberry.
Recipe: Hearty Vegan Breakfast Bowl of Whole Grains and Fruit
Summary: I add nut or seed butter to my cereal, as I like the granola vibe it contributes to the crunchy flakes and also find that the little extra dose of protein and fat helps this breakfast fuel me until lunch. If you need even more energy, feel free to use 2 tablespoons of nut or seed butter.
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Uncle Sam Original Cereal (see note below for gluten-free)
- 2 Tablespoons Raisins or Other Chopped Unsweetened Dried Fruit,
optional (Over the holidays I added pomegranate seeds! See the
picture below) - 1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Nut or Seed Butter (my favorites are
almond, sunflower, and peanut) - 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch Salt (omit if using salted nut or seed butter)
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Milk Alternative (my favorite with cereal is
almond milk), or more if you like more milk with your cereal - 3 to 5 Drops Vanilla Liquid Stevia (can increase if using more
milk alternative) - 1 Small or Half a Large Banana, diced
Instructions
- Combine the cereal, raisins, nut or seed butter, cinnamon, and salt in your cereal bowl.
- Top with diced banana.
- Sweeten the milk with stevia, if desired, and pour over cereal.
- Dig in.
Variations
For the gluten-free diet, simply sub in an unsweetened certified gluten-free breakfast cereal. I like using a combination of corn flakes and crispy rice cereal to mix up the textures and flavors.
Diet type: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy free, Egg free, optionally Gluten free, optionally Nut free, optionally Peanut free, Soy free, optionally Wheat free, Low Sugar
Number of servings (yield): 1
Do you crave sweet or savory in the morning? What are your favorite healthy breakfast ideas and tips?
Be well!
Alisa
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Jan 10, 2012 @ 08:40:00
Great tips, Alisa! I, too, have really cut back on my use of sweeteners. I find that I feel better and that my taste buds have changed to really appreciate the sweetness of natural foods like nuts and nut butters, fresh fruit, and some of the sweeter veggies like yams and beets.
Alisa Cooks – Recipes from the Go Dairy Free kitchen » Sweet No Added Sugar Whole Grain Cereal
Jan 10, 2012 @ 09:01:42
[...] " "))]); }); Today I’m sharing my secrets for cutting back on added sugars in the morning (I have a “no added sugar” before noon policy that I get right 99% of [...]
Jan 10, 2012 @ 09:38:00
I like your plan, Alisa. I have been limiting sugar and the holidays reminded me why. I also like to mix up my gluten-free cereals to get more texture.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 09:53:00
Such good advice, and such a great time of year to apply it! Sounds like my kind of breakfast, filled with a variety of tastes and textures.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 10:17:00
Yum! I love your picture Alisa. I used to have sweetened cereal in the am, now I just don’t like how it affects me. I do like using dates to sweeten though. And every now and then I like a good old fashioned muffin
Jan 10, 2012 @ 11:15:00
Ooh, you know I haven’t added dates yet, but am not sure why not! I’ll do this one morning. Thanks for the suggestion Maggie. On that note, I’ve been really into making date sweetened muffins and bread. I get on muffin kicks too!
Jan 10, 2012 @ 10:19:00
That is one gorgeous bowl of cereal
Jan 10, 2012 @ 10:32:00
What a great post! I have such a sweet tooth and have been trying to slowly decrease my sugar intake–these are such great tips to help!
I agree with Cara, that is one beautiful bowl of cereal!
Jan 10, 2012 @ 11:05:00
It’s important especially for kids to have a nutritious, low-sugar (or natural sugar only) breakfast for their little bodies and minds to be able to work well. I remember teaching elementary school and my students came in on a sugar-high from donuts and yes, those Starbucks caffeine-free, sugar-loaded drinks. They’d crash in an hour or two and couldn’t focus on anything after that. This recipe is a fun way for kids to get a nutritious breakfast that tastes great without the sugar high.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 11:13:00
Holy cow, elementary kids drinking Starbucks??!!
Jan 10, 2012 @ 12:36:00
I am such a believer in high protein, complex carbohydrate breakfast. I refuse to let my kids out the door without a breakfast that will keep their blood sugars level throughout the morning. It is far too important for their little brains to get the right nutrition for fuel. Great recipe!!
Jan 10, 2012 @ 17:01:00
I tend to crave sweet, but often I (very naughtily, I know) just end up eating a few squares of dark chocolate. The other day I made a fruit platter with in-season plums, nectarines, pineapple, mango, and passionfruit, and the sweetness blue my mind. At that moment, I couldn’t imagine needed any other sugars! .. Then a few hours later I mixed maple syrup through peanut butter
Jan 10, 2012 @ 19:46:00
Haha, half a world apart, but our cravings are so in sync Hannah! I grab dark chocolate when those sweets cravings pop up too, and sweetened nut butter is a treat that I adore.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 20:15:00
Oh my gosh, I’m so delighted by your response but so mortified by all of my typos. Stupid 4-hours-of-sleep brain!
Jan 10, 2012 @ 17:29:00
Looks lovely and thanks for adding a gluten free option!
Jan 10, 2012 @ 18:33:00
I go with my oats in the morning and they are sweetened with fruit or stevia. I also add peanut flour and flax to them some times. My boys prefer a savory breakfast though. I’m glad because I would rather them start their day off with a good dose of protein and complex carbs…not sugar.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 19:44:00
Ooh, I haven’t tried peanut flour yet! I wonder of TJ’s still carries it? I would love to hear some more savory breakfast ideas too.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 18:47:00
Beautiful photos, Alisa. They show just how tasty your concoctions are! After years and years of eating cereal for breakfast (usually whole grain with sugar sprinkled on it, truth be told), I’m now a savory breakfast eater. The exception would be green smoothies, which are half and half the way I make them. I’m definitely a breakfast girl though. I was in an all-day meeting today and first thing this morning, I saw one guy with a huge coffee and a Red Bull. That was his breakfast. UGH.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 19:00:00
I never thought to add nut butter to my morning cereal. Great idea Alisa! I’m gonna give it a try when I make oatmeal tomorrow morning. On another note, but related to your post, it’s hard to find almond milk that’s unsweetened. If I remember correctly, there’s one made by Blue Diamond that has no sugar in it. I much prefer adding my own sweetener so that I can control the sweetness. I feel absolutely amazing when I start my day with a bowl of homemade oatmeal (I add chia and dates and craisins rinsed off cause of the sugar and cinnamon and nutmeg) – it’s yummy, but I bet it’ll be even yummier with your idea of adding nut butter.
Jan 10, 2012 @ 19:44:00
Hmm, that’s odd that they don’t have more unsweetened options in your area Ellen. Pacific, Silk, and Almond Breeze all have unsweetened varieties of almond milk and so does Trader Joe’s! For some reason, unsweetened vanilla (vs original) seems to be the easiest to find. I still haven’t trialed chia in my breakfast. I’ll have to give that a go! Thanks for the idea
Jan 27, 2012 @ 23:25:00
This is such a wonderful & well rounded breakfast idea!