A healthy breakfast is the ideal start to the day for many. You feel fresh and energetic and can easily take on the upcoming day and its tasks. However, quite a few people mainly eat plenty of dairy products for breakfast – whether yogurt with fresh fruits or milk with cornflakes, for many dairy products are firmly integrated into the morning routine.
But what if you are lactose intolerant? Can you then have breakfast just as healthily, or do you have to forgo important nutrients?
We will address these and a few other questions about breakfast with lactose intolerance in this post. But before we devote ourselves to breakfast tips, we should first clarify what makes a healthy breakfast and recall what lactose intolerance is all about.
What makes a healthy breakfast?
A healthy breakfast should not only be characterized by optimal nutritional values , but also by a unique taste . Thus, not only the main nutrients such as carbohydrates , fats, and proteins should be adequately covered, but also the many vital micronutrients. These range from minerals to trace elements to vitamins.
In order to provide the body with all these nutrients, you should therefore pay attention to the greatest possible variety .
What is lactose intolerance?
Being lactose intolerant means that the body is unable to break down the milk sugar contained in milk . Thus, this component of dairy products cannot be utilized and can subsequently lead to gastrointestinal problems .
Milk sugar , also called lactose, is hidden in almost all dairy products . This means that a large number of foods used on a daily basis are eliminated for those affected. Therefore, the yogurt for breakfast or the milk in coffee or cereal is no longer an option.
This also loses some important nutrients that are usually consumed through dairy products. Above all, minerals such as calcium , but also vitamins of the B complex (especially vitamin B2 ) must therefore be supplied to the body via other sources.
What nutrients characterize dairy products?
In order to know how best to replace dairy products at breakfast, you should pay attention to the nutritional values in addition to the taste component. But what are these foods known for? Why are they such an important part of breakfast for many people?
From a health point of view, the nutrients contained in milk and dairy products in particular speak for the importance of these foods at breakfast. Because yogurt, cheese, and the like contain a variety of important nutrients. In addition to their reputation as a protein source , they also have a decent fat content , which ensures that you feel well satiated.
Furthermore, the calcium content should be highlighted – hence the reputation of milk as the number one food for strong bones and teeth. In addition, dairy products contain plenty of vitamin B2.
Discover a lactose-free recipe for a calcium-rich quinoa porridge with berries here:
Recipe: Quinoa porridge with berries
Ingredients
- 70 g quinoa
- 150 ml plant milk
- 2 tbsp agave syrup
- 50 g berries
- 15 g walnuts
Preparation
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Put the quinoa in a pot with twice the amount of liquid and let the quinoa simmer for about 10 minutes.
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After 10 minutes of cooking, add the plant drink and the agave syrup to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes.
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Once your quinoa porridge is ready and has a creamy consistency, turn off the heat and add the berries, stirring them in.
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The best way to taste the quinoa porridge is to add some agave syrup if necessary.
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As a topping, you can use different nuts; we have taken walnuts here. Coconut flakes are also suitable.
Replacing dairy products – what's the best way to do it?
Since milk has repeatedly fallen into disrepute in recent years , not only lactose-intolerant people want to do without it, but also more and more people who would actually tolerate these products.
However, it is questionable whether the waiver is also healthy. The answer to this, as with many health questions, is controversial, but there are some ways to consume the "lost nutrients" in other ways. In addition, the question arises as to which alternatives fit not only in terms of nutritional values, but also in terms of taste and processing.
That is why we will now devote ourselves to the classic breakfast options and their alternatives.
Breakfast without dairy products – that's how it's done
Breakfast options without dairy products are now available like sand on the beach. However, not all of them are also suitable for health-conscious people – because often foods such as yogurt are simply replaced by highly processed alternative products to which nutrients have been artificially added to get as close as possible to the original product.
However, if you prefer natural products with as little processing as possible , you should pay close attention to the ingredients list of milk substitutes.
Most of our recipes are vegan and therefore also suitable for lactose-intolerant people . The porridge mixtures can also be prepared with water, for example, and muesli & crunchy also taste wonderful with plant-based milk alternatives. If you want to take matters into your own hands, what goes into the lactose-free, vegan milk substitute and what doesn't, you can try our various recipes for homemade plant-based drinks. How about, for example, a specially prepared oat or almond milk as the basis for your cereal?
Let yourself be inspired by our recipe ideas – so you can create something new every day and not only add variety to your daily breakfast, but also provide your body with enough nutrients .
And if you need to go fast, you still have the option of preparing a delicious porridge mixture. This is ready within a few minutes and provides you with plenty of energy for a good start to the day.
Conclusion
If you have to or want to do without dairy products, you can rely on a variety of alternative products that are not inferior to milk in terms of nutritional values or taste components.
However, it is important to make sure to prepare as much as possible yourself in order to avoid highly processed foods .
