Leftovers for Breakfast

A lot of people are confused as to what constitutes a ‘healthy breakfast’.

To the ‘health conscious’, all our traditional options are off limits as they contain gluten (toast, cereals, and porridge). They also don’t contain ‘green leafies’ (shock/horror). The traditional options are also often processed or contain a lot of sugar.

On the other hand, some people are happy to chomp away on toast (and vegemite) or Weet-Bix on a daily basis. They think that these types of foods are perfectly acceptable everyday solutions to break-the-fast and maintain their good health.

It would appear we’re at odds once again.

When making breakfast decisions, keep in mind that not everyone has Coeliac disease, nor does everyone have a gluten or wheat intolerance. The majority of people can eat gluten + wheat products in moderation¹.  And thank goodness for that,  as the majority of people couldn’t afford to feed their family the expensive substitutes on a daily basis (e.g. Paleo cereals or Gluten-free breads & cereals).

And, if you’re someone who feels obligated to have a Green Smoothie for brekky everyday, please realise that we don’t actually need to consume extra veggies + fruit in our diets. We just need to make sure we consume the required amount (preferably organic). Many of us were too busy getting into our cereal, bread, pasta, dairy products, rice and processed foods, that we forgot to eat enough fresh foodstuffs.

Note: Remember that Green Smoothies are not the only way to incorporate veggies into your breakfast if you are struggling to get your quota in throughout the day.

What I really find interesting though, are the people that consume toast or Weet-Bix for breakfast! Now-days, when so many people are trying to avoid or reduce wheat + gluten in their diets, these people are actively consuming them on a daily basis! These people will most likely develop a gluten or wheat intolerance — if they haven’t already.

May I suggest a way around all this confusion about what constitutes a ‘healthy breakfast’? Why not just eat last night’s leftovers for breakfast?

You could eat leftovers every day if you wanted to (because they will be varied), or you could just use this as a meal idea a few times per week. You could include two other options to have on the days you don’t have leftovers.

For example, you could alternate with:
1—A couple of pieces of toasted sourdough with nut butter + tomato
2—A bowl of Gluten-free cereal + fruit + non-dairy milk

If you do this, not only are you keeping the gluten low in your diet, but you’re also keeping down the number of expensive GF products you might need.

By eating last night’s leftovers, you also get more veggies into your breakfast regime — if this is your goal.

Note: If you’re used to taking your leftovers for lunch, you’ll now simply make yourself something fresh to take with you e.g. a chicken salad sandwich, throw together some tuna + salad, or make yourself a ‘wrap’.