Today we know that breakfast does not have to be the most important meal of the day, but it should contribute to the supply of nutrients and energy that we need for the entire day. And since it is the first bite of the day, it doesn’t hurt that it is appetizing and in accordance with our culture, understood as those foods or preparations common in our social environment. If you follow a vegan diet, it is normal to have a vegan breakfast.
Basic principles of a balanced vegan breakfast
Sonia Martínez Andreu, vice dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy and professor and researcher at the University of the Balearic Islands and member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, highlights that the fundamental thing about a breakfast – vegan or not – is that balanced sea.
It is not essential that it provides all the macronutrients and micronutrients that we will need throughout the day, since we will achieve this calculation by counting all the meals of the day. “But there is nothing more than breakfast including a representation of all of them”, points out the expert.
These are their recommendations:
Above all, whole grains (whole wheat bread, oats…) or quinoa. In case of celiac disease, you should opt for a gluten-free vegan breakfast with oatmeal porridge and fruits, buckwheat bread…
“We can accompany breakfast with nuts, seeds, tofu or even soy or legume “yogurt.” A good example is soy “yogurt” with almonds or toast with hummus or peanut butter.
If we want a salty vegan breakfast we can opt for whole wheat toast with extra virgin olive oil. “We can also add avocado, seeds and nuts, which provide us with healthy fatty acids.”
The best source is fruits and vegetables. Fruits, better whole than in juice. Although in Spanish culture it is not common to incorporate vegetables in the first meal of the day, beyond the tomato spread on the pan, in other countries it is more common to add anything from cabbage to peppers, mushrooms or cucumber.
What should not be included in a vegan breakfast?
A healthy vegan breakfast does not differ much from a plain healthy breakfast in terms of the nutritional quality of the food. “We will avoid all ultra-processed foodsThat is, all sugary products based on refined flours that are marketed as part of breakfast,” he warns.
Although they are sold as ‘suitable for a vegan diet’, it is better to leave aside the entire offer of cookies and breakfast cereals with added sugars (in all their forms), industrial pastries and packaged juices. And what about the cakes, muffins or other homemade sweets that we make at home? Although they are undoubtedly better, the instructions, if they have added sugars, are the same as for industrial pastries: only for special occasions.
And, of course – the expert emphasizes – no soft drinks.
Is vegan breakfast suitable for school-age children?
It is increasingly common for children of parents who follow a vegan diet to also follow it. «He vegan breakfast is suitable for children, as are vegan diets. In fact, preparing a vegan breakfast can be a good alternative to give variety and color to breakfasts,” says Martínez.
To make it healthy, the instructions are the same as for adults. If breakfast cereals are included, they must be without added sugar.
Sweet or salty breakfasts?
Although in other cultures breakfasts are salty, in Spain eating sweet for breakfast is a very established habit among the population. For these cases, the specialist recommends sweetening them with “healthy options and avoiding added sugar and cereals marketed with sugar. To achieve this, you can use different presentations of banana, raisins or dates.”
He also advises changing industrialized cocoa powder preparations for defatted ones. Even add pure chocolate chips to some preparations, such as porridge or yogurt.
Other alternatives that may be attractive to minors are fruit and vegetable smoothies. You can add oats or peanut butter to add more nutrients in a format that is easy to take and that does not raise many protests among the little ones.
Tips for preparing vegan breakfasts
- Prepare in advance. The best way to prevent breakfast from turning into a fight, with angry parents and rushing the children because time is of the essence, is to advance part of breakfast the night before. For example, you can leave ready the overnight oatswith toasted nuts and chopped fruit.
- Include little processed foods. Jams, juices, cereals and sweetened cocoa creams and other options, it is better to leave them only for specific days.
- Vary the menu. It’s not about having the same breakfast every day just because it’s healthy. We can alternate them and look for variations of the same food, for example, oats in porridge, in porridge, in cake with banana, etc., innovate in salty breakfasts with nut creams, such as almond cream, incorporate new seasonal or new foods preparations such as different smoothies or fruit skewers and nut creams, playing with sweet and salty flavors…
Vegan breakfast ideas
The possibilities are endless. Sonia Martínez assures that “it is feasible to make adaptations of a vegan breakfast according to the needs of each individual. We would simply have to assess the needs of each person to make the appropriate adaptations,” he concludes. These are some examples:
High protein vegan breakfasts
- Toast with hummus: whole wheat bread, hummus, smoked paprika and EVOO. Add various seeds
- Porridge with protein powder: oats, vegetable drink, cinnamon, protein powder to taste, fruit toast and sunflower seeds.
- Protein shake: vegetable drink, peanut butter, banana, cocoa, protein powder.
- Oatmeal and peanut butter cookies.
- Marinated Tofu and Avocado Wrap: Add cherry tomatoes, spinach leaves and add saltsiki sauce.
Quick and easy vegan breakfasts
- Glass of fermented vegetable “yogurt” type drink with fruits and flax seeds, cinnamon and, to add a crunchy touch, almonds.
- Peanut butter and banana toast with cinnamon.
- Oatmeal overnight: Let a few tablespoons of rolled oats, chia seeds, cinnamon and pure cocoa rest in a jar overnight in the refrigerator. When you wake up, breakfast will be ready.
Sweet vegan breakfasts
- Toast with vegan cream cheese and strawberries.
- Porridge with fruits and seeds.
- Vegan pancakes or waffles made with whole wheat flour, banana, vegetable drink, flax seeds.
- Crepes filled with fruit. You can use whole wheat or buckwheat or teff flour (gluten-free cereal), add any fruit. You can also use pure chocolate for an extra touch.
- Vegan cookies or muffins made with whole wheat flour, banana, dates, coconut, among other options.
Salty vegan breakfasts
- Toast with avocado and tomato: whole wheat bread with slices of avocado, slices of tomato, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Vegetable and hummus wrap: whole wheat tortilla or wrap, hummus, fresh vegetables such as cucumber, carrot, spinach and sesame seeds.
- Tempeh and avocado sandwich: whole wheat bread, sheets of tempeh (fermented from soy or legumes), slices of avocado, lettuce and mustard.
The ALDI Council
For years, the idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day has been abandoned. The important thing is to ingest all the necessary nutrients throughout the day, regardless of whether it is at breakfast, lunch or dinner. That is why it is so important that the whole thing is healthy and not that we focus only on one meal.
sonia martinez. Member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Master in Human Nutrition and Food Quality. Doctor in Biosanitary Sciences. Contracted Professor with a PhD at the University of the Balearic Islands. Vice Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy. Member of the Evidence, Lifestyle and Health Research Group (EVES), integrated into the University Institute for Research in Health Sciences (IUNICS). As a researcher, she has participated in several projects funded with different articles published in JCR. She has taught in the nursing degree since 2014. She has taught in postgraduate courses, both in the Official Master’s Degree in Research and Health and in degrees specific to the UIB. related to food and nutrition.
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