7 Healthy Breakfast Options for Busy Professionals to Win the Day

The Busy Professional's Guide to Using a Healthy Breakfast to Conquer Your Work Day

By: Aaron Williams III

Do you work 40 – 60+ hours a week and struggle with time management?

Are you on the edge of burnout because staying in control of your work-life balance is too hard?

If you said “yes” to either of these, then you’re in the right place, my friend.

I get it.

You don’t want to put intense effort into sculpting your body, like an athlete, model, or fitness guru.

You simply want to tackle your busy day head-on. And you think a healthy breakfast will give you the energy you need.

Good for you, because you’re going to learn about the healthiest foods you can eat – even if you’re short on time.

If you’re a working parent or an adult with a demanding career (doctor, lawyer, firefighter, etc.), then stick around.

What Does “Breakfast” Mean?

“Breakfast” is separated into two words: “break” and “fast.”

As PennState Extension explains, breaking a fast means to start eating again after going a specific amount of time without eating anything.

After you wake up in the morning, it counts as your first meal of the day.

But you don’t have to eat your breakfast in the morning. If you don’t have an appetite at that moment, you can save it for lunch.

For the sake of getting you ready for work, we will just focus on breakfast in the morning, though.

Why Eating a Healthy Breakfast Is Important

If you want to take control of your day, then starting it off on the right foot is critical.

And a solid way to do that? A healthy breakfast, of course.

So, your glucose levels are going to be low because you’ve fasted through most of the morning.

This means you need to eat to refill that lost energy. And your metabolism does this by breaking the food that you eat down into energy.

Think of it as re-fueling your car when it’s low on gas: when the marker’s on “E,” it starts slowing down. That’s why you need fuel – or, in this case, important nutrients like protein, vitamins, and carbohydrates – to fill it back up.

That’s not all a healthy breakfast can do for you, either. Actually, it does WAY more than you think.

You see, the energy and nutrients you get from your food are great for:

Helping keep your hunger in check
Providing better focus/concentration
Providing more productivity
Reducing stress

But let’s say that one morning, you’re really tired. I mean, to the point where eating feels like a waste of time.

So, out of desperation… you decide to skip breakfast.

That’s not a good idea.

Why? Because you’re going to have to survive the ENTIRE day without the nutrients you need, which means:

You’ll have less energy
You’ll be distracted later on because all you can think about is eating food
Your productivity will go down (side effect of point 2)
You’ll feel even more overwhelmed to the point of becoming irritated

What Your Breakfast Needs to Be

If you want to get the most out of your breakfast, look for options that are:

1) Easy to Prepare

I get that you’re busy, but you still can’t afford to spend too much time making food.

Because if you do, you could be late for work.

And if you’re late too often, that might have consequences down the road, like:

Costing you recommendations that could lead to promotions
Causing your reputation to go down
Ruining assignments for your teammates during group work
Getting demoted or even fired

You need to build that consistency to get your co-workers to trust you. That’s why you can’t afford to be late, which is why your food should be easy to prepare.

2) Nutrient-Dense

Healthy foods come with lots of nutrients that promote good health, energy, focus, and even help manage stress. These are only a portion of what you can find in these foods:

Vitamin A
Multiple B vitamins (Niacin, Thiamin, etc.)
Protein
Fiber
Omega-3 fatty acids
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats

Healthy foods also have little-to-no processed ingredients like added sugar or MSG (monosodium glutamate). The Whole U sums this up by saying that your ingredients should come from “whole, unprocessed foods” instead.

3) Portable

It shouldn’t take a lot of effort to make your breakfast and head out the door. These foods should either be grab-and-go or easy to take out the door.

4) Filling

If your breakfast items are filling, chances are they’ll include at least one of these:

High protein
High fiber
Lots of water
Low energy density
High polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats

The fact that you’re full keeps you from getting distracted thinking about snacking on more food. This will make it easier to focus on your tasks, which will allow you to get things done quicker.

7 Breakfast Options You Need to Try

Now it’s time to start things off on the right foot! Give these foods a try so that you can finally concentrate better and reduce your chances of burnout.

Quick note: All of the nutrition facts are from Nutritionix.

1) Smoothies

Smoothies are a versatile pick for a healthy breakfast. You can mix loads of nutritious ingredients together to create the ultimate snack.

If you have a hard time eating fruits and vegetables the way they are, try blending them into smoothies. It makes them easier to eat, and they’re good for you.

To help get you full, add in some protein powders and raw nuts. Or you can mix in fiber-boosting foods like bananas and mangoes.

And if you want to make it even more filling, here’s a good trick you can try: add several pieces of ice to your smoothie when you blend it.

As a side effect, blending it with ice also gives it more flavor and texture. In short, just think of it as a healthier version of ice cream that actually keeps your hunger at bay for a while.

You still want to be careful about what and how much you’re mixing in, though.

For example, try to limit how much sugar you put in your smoothies.

Items like yogurt and fruit juice aren’t good to use all the time. Like I said before, that extra sugar will give you a quick spike in energy, but it’ll also make you sluggish.

“Wait, doesn’t fruit come with sugar, too?” you may be asking yourself.

Yes – it does.

But in the case of fruit, it’s generally full of useful nutrients that help cancel out the sugar. With sweetened yogurt and fruit juice, substitute them for items like Greek yogurt and vegetable juice for more fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Now, I bet you’re wondering: “What kind of blender should I use?”

If you’re looking for the perfect blender, the BlendJet 2 portable blender not only blends quickly with the press of a single button – you don’t even need an outlet to use it.

And its 30-day money-back guarantee means you won’t have to worry about making the wrong financial decision – which is the LAST thing you want on your plate right now.

2) Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is one of the best options for a quick, easy, and nutritious treat. And If you’re looking for something with low calories and high protein, you should give it a shot.

It’s only 100 calories for a plain 6-ounce cup, has less than 1 gram of total fat, AND comes packed with 17 grams of protein.

Compared to regular yogurt, Greek yogurt gets rid of the liquid texture (whey) by straining it. This causes the yogurt to gain protein and become thicker, making it take even longer to digest.

Plus, you can mix it with smoothies and oatmeal, adding even more protein and satisfaction to breakfast time.

Just remember that Greek yogurt has a very tangy flavor. If you don’t like strong flavors, pair it with some fruit or nuts to help hide the taste.

3) Whole-Grain Toast

The 3rd healthy breakfast option you should try is whole-grain toast.

It comes with plenty of vitamins (especially B vitamins like thiamin and niacin). And it’s a good source of dietary fiber (2.1 grams per serving [about 28 ounces]).

Also, because it’s a whole-grain food, your body can’t completely break it down. So it passes through relatively still intact.

It’s also another food that you can customize to your heart’s content. In fact, combining this with eggs gives you a big dose of fiber and protein.

Still, one thing you definitely shouldn’t be eating with your toast is butter. It’s one of the most common (and unhealthiest) forms of topping you could ever put on any food.

Not only does butter lack protein and fiber, but it has so much saturated fat (7.3 grams per tablespoon). Instead, pair it up with either hummus or any kind of fruit or vegetable.

Adding avocado to your toast is another option you can explore. It’s rich with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat.

“Why does that matter?” you may ask.

Well, typically, healthy fats take longer to digest. And it just so happens that avocado has a high polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat count.

4) Oatmeal

Plain oatmeal is low on calories (166 calories per cup) and high on fiber (4 grams) and protein (about 6 grams).

It also has 28 carbs, which means you’re getting a lot of energy from it.

And because it’s a complex carb, the energy you get from it lasts longer. This makes it almost a must if you’re looking for the best foods to get you through the day.

But here’s the thing: you need to stay away from instant oatmeal.

Both instant and plain oatmeal carry fiber, but instant oatmeal has added sugars and sweeteners. This might actually end up making you hungrier later on compared to the regular version.

If you simply just want more flavor, add some fruit or nuts, and skip the sugar.

5) Eggs/Omelets

Eggs are a strong option because they have high protein (6.3 grams per large egg) and low calories (72 calories).

On top of that, you can turn them into omelets.

A plain omelet usually takes 2-3 eggs to make, which comes with about 14-21 grams of protein. And you can add in nutrient-rich items like lean meats and vegetables to get more creative.

Still, keep in mind that omelets do take more time to make, especially if you don’t set your ingredients up ahead of time.

But you don’t have to worry about that.

Because near the end, I’ll give you tips on how you can manage your time in the morning. That way, you can afford to put together even tastier meals, like the ones Eat This, Not That! have on their blog post.

6) Fruits

Fresh fruits are incredible options for busy people.

For starters, there is absolutely no prep time needed. You can literally just grab them and get out of the house.

Or if you have time to spare, you can combine these with other foods on this list, like oatmeal, smoothies, and Greek yogurt.

Plus, fruits are low-calorie foods that can help anyone stay full because they naturally carry lots of water. Think of fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries, all of which can store up to at least 90% of water.

And without water to keep us hydrated, we’re more likely to get tired and less likely to stay focused.

Apart from that, a study from Cambridge University’s British Journal of Nutrition shows that fruits also help promote “fewer psychological health issues and reduced cognitive impairment.”

This just means that eating fruit can boost your ability to perform basic mental tasks like:

Learning
Paying attention
Remembering things
Thinking
Problem-solving

Still, here’s a word of warning for you: try to limit your intake of canned fruit.

I can tell what’s going through your mind right now.

“But canned fruit is nutritious and convenient. Why would I limit my intake?”

Yes, fruit is generally safe to eat. And yes, canned fruit is already sliced up, which can even make it easier to eat compared to fresh fruits.

But canned fruit has lots of sugar. In fact, 1 cup (250 grams) of canned peaches has 26 grams of sugar. This amount of sugar will likely make you tired later on in the day.

However, if you still want to eat canned fruit regularly, this is what you can do:

Buy brands that naturally come with their own juice
Buy brands that don’t have added sugar
Rinse off the fruit in cold water to wash away some of its sugar (at the risk of stripping away some of its nutrients)

7) Raw Nuts

When you think of nuts, you think of pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts, etc. These are excellent for breakfast because they’re chock full of good fats.

Not only that, but they also have a good fiber and protein nutrition makeup.

My personal favorite nut is walnuts. Let’s take a standard serving (7 full-size walnuts/14 walnut-halves) for example:

Walnuts – Fiber: 2 grams | Protein: 4.3 grams | Poly. Fat: 13.4 grams | Mono. Fat: 2.5 grams

Walnuts, in particular, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help the brain function properly.

Like most of the foods on this list, you can add nuts to almost anything and it’ll make it tastier. Think about it – nuts mixed with Greek yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, and toast?

That’s not to mention you can mix them together to create your own trail mix.

That said, make sure you’re not allergic to them.

Itchy skin and constant sneezing are annoying to deal with as it is. But when these allergies distract you from getting work done, then it becomes a problem.

How to Make More Time for Breakfast

Sure – knowing the right foods to eat is important.

But what if you want to get more creative with your meals?

What if you want to keep your breakfast routine going without the risk of slacking off?

What if… you’re lacking time?

Well, my friend, planning ahead is the way to go! Here’s what you can do:

Wake up earlier than usual to make breakfast.
Sacrifice unnecessary morning tasks in order to make time for breakfast (ex: watching TV before leaving the house).
Make your breakfast at night to enjoy the next morning.
Have your ingredients ready before you go to bed so you can prepare it quicker the next morning (If you want your food to stay fresh).
Ask your spouse, sibling, roommate, or parent to put your breakfast together for you instead.

It’s Time to Rise and Dine – the Healthy Way!

Is it starting to click yet?

Do you know why many people consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day?

It’s because it helps start your day out on the right foot.

And if you eat well and stay away from the foods that’ll make you tired (processed meat, sugary cereal, pastries, etc.), then there’s no reason why you can’t be successful.

All you need to do is stay disciplined and consistently follow your eating habits.

That said, know that I believe in you.

Even though you’re overwhelmed by the lack of time and energy, exploring healthy breakfast choices can go a long way in easing that stress.

Speaking of exploring, if you liked this and want more helpful advice on ways you can improve your health, go check out my portfolio.

Also, got a question about any of the breakfast foods I’ve talked about in this post? Are there things you aren’t completely sure about?

Ask me! I’d love to get your thoughts.

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