Morning Story

Smart tweaks turn ordinary breakfasts into nutrient-packed meals.

July 9, 2012
Media: Morning Story

If you regularly scramble eggs or blend a smoothie for breakfast, you can congratulate yourself for starting your day off right. Eating breakfast can help you lose weight, control blood-sugar levels, and sustain energy for workouts. But even when your usual choice is generally healthy, it still may be missing key nutrients that runners need to perform their best. With the help of experts, we turned these reader-runners' go-to breakfasts into peak-performance fuel.

The Fast Food Eater
Busy working mom JoAnn Flett of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, has eaten a prerun toaster waffle with half a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of peanut butter most mornings for the past decade. The waffle delivers quick carbs to fuel her runs–and takes less than five minutes to prepare. But according to Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., director of sports nutrition at Penn State University, Flett's breakfast lacks calcium, iron, and antioxidants like vitamins A and C–all needed for good health and to continue running strong.
Makeover: Flett could boost her intake of quality carbs by swapping the traditional waffle for one made with whole grains. Topping it with berries and fat-free yogurt adds calcium and antioxidants while shaving calories and fat. Or she could ditch the waffle and have a hard-boiled egg (made ahead of time), a piece of fruit like an apple, and a single-serving container of fat-free Greek yogurt. The high-carb combo is just as quick to assemble but contains fewer calories with more protein to keep her full, says Clark.

The Home Baker
Megen Pullen of Portland, Oregon, is an avid baker who loves homemade goods like banana chocolate chip muffins and peanut butter pancakes. Her recipes use whole grains, nuts, and seeds to provide carbs, fiber, and protein. But her prerun breakfasts also contain a lot of fat. "Seeds and nuts are sources of healthy fats that can help lower cholesterol," says Jamie Lee, R.D., of Portland, Oregon. "But fat takes longer to leave the stomach. Eating too much of it can lead to a full, uncomfortable feeling when running."
Makeover: Pullen could slash fat and calories in her recipes by replacing half the oils with applesauce, pumpkin puree, or fruit puree. They add vitamins and minerals, while "the natural sugars hold in moisture and promote browning," says Lee. She also suggests using dried, unsweetened cranberries in place of chocolate chips and reducing the nuts and seeds by half, making the baked goods easier to digest. Adding a glass of fat-free milk offers extra carbs and hydrating fluid.

The Smoothie King
Scott Holder of Logan, Utah, has been a dedicated smoothie drinker for two years and enjoys a postrun blend of bananas, blueberries, two-percent milk, and vanilla yogurt. The dairy provides protein and calcium, while the fruit offers carbohydrates, fiber, and antioxidants. Blueberries in particular are a smart nutritional pick: A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that they contain compounds that may lower the risk of developing high blood pressure.
Makeover: Claudia Wilson, R.D., owner of Nutrition Progress in Salt Lake City, suggests Holder swap his smoothie for a homemade fruit-and-yogurt parfait. He can make it by layering 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt (which is higher in protein than traditional), ¼ cup nuts or ½ cup natural granola (which adds a hit of re-energizing carbs), and 1 cup mixed berries, which–compared to using just one fruit–provide a wider array of antioxidants that fight inflammation.

The Egg Lover
For John Bagge of Palos Verdes Estates, California, breakfast is a fried egg on wheat toast with a slice of Canadian bacon and two cups of coffee. The main problem? According to Stacey Whittle, R.D., of Healthy By Design in Santa Monica, Bagge's prerun meal is too low in carbs and too high in unhealthy fats that can weigh him down. Canadian bacon is leaner than traditional, "but he fries his egg and toasts his bread in the leftover fat," says Whittle. "Think how that fat solidifies when it cools. Imagine it in your arteries–it's not so good for the heart."
Makeover: To cut his saturated fat intake, Bagge can cook the egg in a pan misted with just a little olive oil and skip the bacon. A smear of mashed avocado–a source of monounsaturated fat–on a whole-grain English muffin helps keep "bad cholesterol" under control, says Whittle. Tomato and a small handful of spinach add flavor, carbs, and antioxidants. For extra carbs, he can swap the second cup of coffee for grape juice diluted with water, which keeps calories in check while hydrating him for his run.

Eat Better: Have about 16 ounces of fluid with your pre-run breakfast to reduce the chance of midrun GI distress and muscle cramping.

Cold Case
RW experts pick healthy cereals fit for runners

Fiber One
The name says it all. A ½-cup serving of Fiber One contains just 60 calories and 14 grams of fiber, which helps keep you feeling full.That's more than half your need for the day, says Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.

Kashi GoLean
It contains plenty of fiber and more protein than an egg. Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., recommends mixing it with an iron-rich cereal such as Total to help runners meet their need for a mineral that helps power aerobic activity.

Shredded Wheat
Gans likes plain shredded wheat since it contains six grams each of fiber and protein. Clark says frosted versions provide iron and extra carbs for prerun energy, but should be eaten in moderation.

A ¾-cup serving of these whole-wheat flakes provides 100 per-cent of 12 essential vitamins and minerals, making it the equivalent of a vitamin-and-mineral supplement you can enjoy in cereal form, says Clark.

Research shows that most people can eat up to six eggs a week without having a negative impact on heart health.