Avoid Recession Pounds: Have Veggies for Breakfast

With the recession deepening and, unfortunately, layoffs increasing, many people are looking at how to trim their monthly budget.  While it’s quite prudent to try to conserve cash, one concern from healthcare professionals is that these budgetary cutbacks may result in weight gain, or recession pounds.

One researcher in the article predicts, “People … are going to economize and as they save money on food they will be eating more empty calories or foods high in sugar, saturated fats and refined grains, which are cheaper,” said Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Nutrition Sciences Program at the University of Washington in Seattle.  Given that poor health is one of the biggest risks to a budget, this is unfortunate.

In trying to maintain good health, eating more vegetables is high on almost everyone’s list.  In addition to healthy micronutrients and cancer-fighting anti-oxidants, vegetables are full of fiber and are generally good for preventing obesity.  Curiously, in the United States, one meal that is almost always void of vegetables is breakfast with most diners choosing all protein (bacon and eggs) or all carbohydrate (pancakes or cereal) options.  With a bit of creativity, there are ways to have vegetables for breakfast, especially when you add international choices.  When displacing meat and/or prepared sugary cereals, vegetables can be a reasonable cost as well as healthful option.

Some vegetables for breakfast ideas:
Vegetable omelets or frittatas,using up leftover vegetables from dinner
Veggie-rich hash (potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, peppers, onions)
English style — baked beans, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, an egg
Japanese style – Cooked veggies with rice porridge, salmon, green tea
Israeli style — Yogurt, pita bread, hummus, and Israeli salad
Mexican style – Migas (scrambled eggs & leftover tortillas) w/ refried beans
Green smoothies combining fruit, yogurt, and greens such as spinach

Be creative! Take care of your health.  After all, healthy living saves money in the long run.

see my post on Almost Meatless Meals and also this week’s  Rich Life Carnival