If breakfast was previously seen as the most important meal of the day, today scientific evidence shows that the most relevant factor for health is the quality of food throughout the day. Still, neglecting your first meal can compromise your intake of important nutrients.

In practice, the scenario is familiar: waking up late, having a coffee on the run, grabbing a cheese bread on the way or simply leaving it to eat “whenever you can”. The problem is that some seemingly harmless habits can make a difference in mood, cognition, satiety and the quality of food throughout the day.

Below, nutritionist Clariana Colaço explains the five most common breakfast mistakes and how to make simple adjustments to have a more complete and nutritious meal. Check it out!

1. Consume only coffee

If your breakfast It’s literally a black coffee and that’s it, you’re far from being an exception. One of the most common habits is failing to include protein in the first meal of the day. However, with that comes that hunger at 10 am, the desire to snack on something and the feeling that the coffee “didn’t stop the hunger”.

A simple way to balance this meal can be to include foods such as long-life milk, yogurt, cheese or eggs. “Protein is often forgotten at breakfast, and it is precisely one of the nutrients that most generates the feeling of satiety. At this meal, carton milk, for example, comes in as a practical, safe and affordable alternative, which is already part of Brazilians’ routine and helps to make the meal more complete. It’s not about eating more, it’s about making better choices”, explains Clariana Colaço.

2. Taking milk out of your routine for no reason

Although some people choose to reduce or exclude milk from their diet, this decision is not always accompanied by professional recommendations. When there is no specific need, removing this food can reduce the consumption of nutrients important for health, such as high-quality proteins, calcium, vitamin D and B vitamins.

“Many people exclude the milk thinking you are automatically making a healthier choice. It’s not like that. The ideal is to understand the context, individual needs and seek appropriate substitutions when necessary, such as lactose-free milk for those intolerant to this carbohydrate”, adds the nutritionist.

3. Eat only carbohydrates

Bread, toast, tapioca, couscous, cake, breakfast cereal: they can continue to be part of breakfast and are important for provide energybut they should not appear alone. When combined with protein and other foods, such as those rich in fiber, they tend to generate a greater feeling of satiety. “The mistake is not eating bread. The problem is consuming only this food and summarizing breakfast in carbohydrates”, highlights Clariana Colaço.

4. Leaving the meal at lunch to make up for it

Not eating breakfast and leaving it to make up for it at lunch is not a good strategy. Going for many hours without eating can increase the chances of overeating at the next meal or causing energy fluctuations.

“Breakfast can be simple and practical, but it must offer a good combination of nutrients. When it is complete, it helps to support the routine and contributes to the rest of the day happening in a more balanced way”, explains the nutritionist.

5. Eating exactly the same thing every day

The coffee, bread and rush combo is classic, but variation is also important. Include and alternate types of fruitensuring sources of protein and including other foods, such as oats, nuts and seeds, can help expand nutritional diversity.

“Small changes make a difference. Sometimes, including a fruit blended with milk and varying the accompaniments already significantly changes the composition of the meal”, concludes Clariana Colaço.

By Gabriela Gimenes