People's Go-To Healthy Breakfast Isn't As Common As You Might Think - Exclusive Survey

Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day, but why? According to Healthline, eating breakfast supplies your body with much-needed energy and helps kick-start your metabolism. "Research shows that eating breakfast reduces daily calorie intake, increases satiety, improves the quality of our diet, and improves insulin sensitivity at the meals we eat the rest of the day", Lauri Wright, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, told Healthline. It can also lead to healthier body weight, and that being said, skipping breakfast may have the opposite effect.

One 2019 systematic review published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease explains that skipping breakfast can increase the odds of certain cardiometabolic conditions. Some of these cardiometabolic conditions include diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and unwanted lipid profiles. Alternatively, people who forgo breakfast are also more likely to not exercise frequently, miss out on the recommended amounts of necessary nutrients, and eat more added sugars and calories throughout the day, explains the American Heart Association. With this in mind, eating breakfast every day may be a good idea to support your overall health, but which healthy breakfast items do people eat most often?

To answer this question, Health Digest conducted a survey among its readers to discover more about the most common (and not so common) breakfast choices. They asked 610 readers the same question: what's your go-to healthy breakfast? At the top of the poll were eggs, with 40.98% reporting that this is their preferred breakfast of choice. The second-most common healthy breakfast item was oatmeal, according to 23.77% of those surveyed. A total of 14.92% said smoothies were their go-to choice, while 12.79% opted for yogurt. The least common breakfast choices were avocado toast (5.57%) and acai bowls (1.97%).

According to WebMD, other healthy breakfast items include breakfast tacos, breakfast sandwiches, whole-grain toast topped with nut butter, and fruit salad. Some of these can be better for a grab 'n go option when you're running short on time (think oatmeal in a travel mug), while others can be prepared beforehand (i.e. cutting up your fruit salad the night before). Homemade whole grain muffins filled with nuts, seeds, veggies, or fruits are another healthy breakfast choice, points out the American Heart Association. These can even be prepared over the weekend, and then tossed in the freezer to make them last throughout the week. Consider trying these recipes for healthy banana muffins or gluten-free apple muffins for some inspiration.