Exercise and nutrition are two of the most important components of a healthy lifestyle. However, these are not two independent aspects; on the contrary, they are two areas of life that strongly influence each other.
Therefore, a suitable diet is extremely important for your everyday sporting life. In particular, breakfast plays a key role.
You can find out what the optimal sports breakfast looks like and how you can tailor it to your individual needs in this article.
What makes a healthy breakfast?
A healthy breakfast should provide plenty of energy , provide you with all the necessary nutrients , and also taste good . That sounds like a lot at first, but in the end, it's not too difficult. It should be noted, however, that the word healthy should always be viewed in context.
For example, a calorie-reduced breakfast may be healthy for a person with a predominantly sedentary everyday life. For a physically active person, however, this can look very different. Because if you exercise regularly , your body has slightly different needs. For example, they may need more protein if you do intensive strength training.
Thus, a healthy breakfast must always be designed individually . However, certain principles can be applied to almost all population groups. For example, it makes sense to incorporate complex carbohydrates into breakfast, which in combination with healthy fiber provide plenty of long-lasting energy . The fat sources, on the other hand, should consist primarily of unsaturated fatty acids . In addition, plenty of proteins, minerals and vitamins are components of a healthy breakfast.
We will now take a closer look at the needs of physically active people and which nutrients are particularly important for you and achieving your sporting goals.
Building muscle and increasing performance thanks to a healthy protein breakfast
If exercise is more than just a pastime for you and you set yourself high sporting goals ,an adequate sports breakfast is indispensable. For example, if your goal is to increase your performance, you will need a high-protein and high-energy diet in addition to intensive training.
Whether you want to perform better on the tennis court or prepare for a marathon, the extra need for certain nutrients will have a lot in common. So you should make sure to consume plenty of energy in the form of complex carbohydrates and healthy fats at breakfast.
However, it is important to avoid an excessive increase in blood sugar, as this would only lead to a short energy boost. What you need much more is a breakfast that provides you with plenty of energy throughout your workout and beyond.
These nutrients should not be missing in your sports breakfast
And that's where fibercomes in. Because these digestive components of food ensure areduced increase in blood sugar and thus an optimal energysupply. High-fiber foods such as chia seeds can be easily integrated into breakfast, for example in the form of overnight oats.
Delicious Recipe: Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp oatmeal (approx. 45g)
- 80 ml water, milk or a plant-based alternative
- 1 tbsp. yoghurt
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (equivalent to about 15 g of chia seeds)
- Honey, agave syrup or maple syrup for sweetening
- Fruits, nuts and seeds of your choice (as a topping)
Preparation
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Water, milk or a vegetable alternative come together with the oatmeal and the chia seeds in a glass and are stirred well.
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Our insider tip: Add a tablespoon of yogurt.
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For sweetening, we recommend honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup.
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The mixture should be put in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.
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Then stir well, decorate with fruit, nuts, or seeds, and enjoy.
Nutritional values
However, since your body not only needs energy but also building material for new muscle tissue , the proteins should not be missed in your breakfast. For example, a tasty , protein porridge provides you with complex carbohydrates, a healthy amount of fiber, and abundant vegetable proteins .
In our breakfast sports range, you will find everything your athlete's heart desires, from energy-rich porridges to fiber-rich cereals to protein-rich green protein waffles. Our sports products are characterized by their high content of plant proteins , which can be optimally utilized by your body due to their high biological value .
And if you're in a hurry, you can always fall back on the protein-rich breakfast shake strawberry-blackberry, which provides you with plenty of energy and amino acids for athletic performance.
Losing weight with a low-carb diet – how to do it
However, if your goal is to lose weight in a targeted way, a healthy breakfast will look a little different. Especially if you want to eat a low-carb diet , it's important to start at breakfast.
While you need plenty of energy to achieve peak athletic performance, you should save a certain amount of calories when it comes to targeted weight loss . Some people find it easier to reduce the amount of fat consumed, while others prefer to ban the carbohydrates from the plate.
Although you can lose weight with both approaches, we would now like to take a closer look at the low-carb diet , as it changes your breakfast more. To make your breakfast lower in carbohydrates, you should first identify the carb sources.
These are mostly cereal products, as they consist largely of carbohydrates. Low-carb, on the other hand, are mainly vegetables, legumes, and water-rich fruits.
These foods are suitable for a low carb diet
So you could, for example, rely on grain-free products that do not require any grains. The energy is provided by lower-carbohydrate legumes such as nuts or seeds, e.g. chia seeds . The big plus is that, in addition to the lower amount of carbohydrates, legumes usually contain even more fiber and are also optimal sources of protein.
For example, our Verival Grain Free Sport Protein Muesli Almond Fig has 70 percent fewer carbohydrates than conventional muesli, as it does not need any grains. The seeds and nuts, on the other hand, provide you with plenty of healthy fatty acids, digestive fiber and a decent portion of vegetable proteins.
It's best to take a look at our Verival Sport Range to discover even more low-carb breakfast products, such as our Lower Carb Granola with the delicious flavor of raspberry-almond coconut 😉
