Power up your breakfast

March 22  Its common knowledge that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Yet many of us still think that skipping breakfast is entirely normal.

A healthy and nutritious breakfast can definitely give you a kick start and set you on the right path to jumpstart the day. It provides essential nutrients, energy to focus, and enough fuel to power you through wherever the day takes you.

With diets like Intermittent and Keto getting increasingly popular, breakfast is fast losing its relevance. While all meals are equally important, the first meal of your day comes many hours after last night’s dinner.

“It may not come as a surprise that many of us tend to skip breakfast sometimes. Maybe it’s because we’re in a hurry and don’t have time. Or, perhaps, you just simply don’t feel like eating. Finding a breakfast option that is both nutritious and delicious can be a real struggle, and you often need something quick and easy to head out of the door swiftly,” celebrity dietician Nmami Agrawal told IANSlife.

Packed with all things good, walnuts are a healthy and versatile nut that can help you move one step closer to your healthy living goals. Here’s a perfect, yummy, crunchy, and nutty way to enhance the nutritive value of your breakfast!

? Walnuts are a nutrient-dense option that can be an excellent choice for many people. They are the only tree nut significantly high in omega-3 ALA. Not only are they easy to eat on the go, but because they have good fats, protein, and fiber, you don’t have to eat a large amount to feel full and satisfied. Perfect and time-saving breakfast!

? 28 grams of walnuts offer 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and is particularly rich in good fats known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). 13 grams of PUFAs in walnuts includes 2.5 grams of the plant-based omega-3 ALA. And you know that you need a good amount of nutrients during breakfast so that you stay alert and attentive throughout the day.

? PUFAs may offer a cardio protective benefit, meaning they could help protect your heart and blood vessels. Research has shown that people who reduce their consumption of saturated fat and replace it with PUFAs may have a lower risk of heart disease.

A potential benefit of adding California walnuts to your daily breakfast relates to your feelings of hunger and fullness, which can go well beyond simple weight management and your ability to know when to eat and when to stop eating. Feeling full and satisfied is influential to daily mood and energy levels and walnuts tend to promote a feeling of fullness and satiety, making you have a smart control on your daily appetite.

Adding a serving of walnuts to your breakfast could help give you key nutrients that may make a difference. Here’s how you can do it:

* Add walnuts to poha, upma or simply make it a part of all your chutneys

* Make your parathas more wholesome and crunchier by adding crushed walnuts

* Sprinkle walnuts on top of a fruit yogurt bowl add it to your oatmeal for that beautiful crunch

* Grind walnuts up into a smoothie or make walnut milk latte for comforting mornings

* Energy bites with walnuts come to a great rescue while traveling to work keeping you full and energised.

* Add toasted walnuts to your sandwiches

Walnuts are a versatile nut with a flavour profile that pairs beautifully with a variety of seasonal foods, they can be included in meals especially breakfast any time of the year.

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