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Healthy Vegan Breakfast Options To Fuel Your Body For Your Day’s Activities

healthy vegan breakfast for weight loss

You may have skipped breakfast merely because you were tired of eating the same thing at one point in time. If not, you might have decided to have breakfast at a restaurant. While it might seem like a great idea, sometimes eating outside is not the best choice. It could make you tempted to consume unhealthy foods or mostly junk foods. Therefore, it is always advisable to prepare your own meals if you can, especially if you are trying to lose weight. A vegan diet can help you attain this goal. However, if you always have to eat breakfast and not just any breakfast, you should have a healthy vegan breakfast. There are plenty of vegan breakfast recipes you can choose to cook. Read on as we explore vegan breakfast menus, nutrition facts, and the benefits of eating a healthy vegan breakfast for weight loss.

 

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The Vegan Diet

Cutting meat from your diet does not automatically make you a vegan. The two basic rules of starting a vegan diet are cutting out meat and other animal products. So, in addition to avoiding meat, you also have to keep away from products like cheese, eggs, honey, and milk.

You may want to embrace a vegan meal plan to help improve your health. If not, your purpose could be to use your plant-based meal plans to reduce your risk of certain diseases. Whatever your reason is, remember to seek medical advice first.

If you’re planning on creating a vegan breakfast, first, understand what you can and cannot eat in this diet plan. Similarly, understand which foods give you what nutrients. The most worrying element about taking a vegan diet is usually getting enough protein, as well as a few vitamins and minerals that are tougher to get from plant-based foods (6). 

Read More: The Vegan Diet: How It Works, What To Eat, The Benefits

Speak to a registered dietitian to acquire a well-designed vegan diet plan specifically for you. Expect to see or use these foods when you start a vegan diet:

  • Seeds and nuts
  • Vegetables and fruits
  • Pasta, rice, and bread
  • Legumes such as lentils, beans, and peas
  • Whole grains such as amaranth, Kamut, and quinoa
  • Vegetable oils
  • Alternatives to dairy products such as almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk

The foods to avoid when you start this meal plan include:

  • Butter and cheese
  • Honey
  • Pork, beef, lamb, and any other type of red meat
  • Duck, chicken, and any other type of poultry
  • Eggs
  • Any fish, crabs, mussels, and clams
  • Mayonnaise if it contains egg yolks (vegan versions are often available)
  • Cream, milk, ice cream, and other products made from dairy

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Benefits Of Taking A Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

In addition to good flavors, eating a wholesome vegan breakfast also helps you in the following ways:

  • Improving Your Health

Skipping breakfast can be detrimental to your health. Consuming a plant-based breakfast will give your body essential minerals and vitamins to kick start body processes and functioning (9). You also want to acquire antioxidants, fiber, and other compounds that play an integral role in protecting your body against various diseases. 

  • Reducing Your Obesity Risks

If you do not eat various foods such as meat, you reduce your chances of becoming obese.

  • Reducing Your Risk Of Getting Heart Diseases

Going meatless also minimizes your chances of getting heart-related conditions. It also reduces your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

  • Better Weight Management And Control

Another perk of starting a vegan diet plan is having better control over your weight. You are more likely to have a lower body mass index than a person still eating animal products.

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Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss Ideas

Contrary to what you may think, the list of healthy vegan breakfast ideas is endless. It consists of various food options that are rich in fiber, protein, and other nutrients. In your vegan breakfast option, you are advised to eat sufficient protein. 

It will make you feel fuller for longer, which helps regulate your appetite. Again, this helps support weight loss if this is the idea behind you starting a vegan diet.

Here are some of the vegan breakfast ideas you can try this morning:

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: A Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast

Oatmeal is a standard breakfast food option in most households. It is loved due to its enriched flavors and numerous health benefits. Consuming oatmeal can help with the following (7):

  • Increasing Antioxidants In Your Body

Oatmeal contains specific antioxidants known as polyphenols, which contain plant-based compounds known as avenanthramides. These compounds can help improve your blood flow, reduce your blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

  • Improving Your Insulin Response

If you have type 2 diabetes, then you may want to add oatmeal to your diet plan. It contains beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that improves how insulin responds in your body. It can also help you manage your sugar levels, so long as you don’t add sugar to your dish of oatmeal. 

Meal Plan

  • Providing You With Numerous Vitamins And Minerals

Oatmeal is rich in various minerals and vitamins like zinc, phosphorus, folate, magnesium, iron, Vitamin B-1, copper, and Vitamin B-5. All these vitamins and nutrients help your body perform various functions. 

  • Managing Your Weight

Oatmeal contains soluble fiber that satiates you quickly and for a longer duration. Consequently, it helps you limit how much and how often you eat. This might explain why oatmeal is among the best weight loss breakfast options.

Nutritional Information

There are different oatmeal varieties you can choose to purchase. They include the steel-cut variety, oat groats, rolled, and the crushed variety. Regardless of the variety you pick, you will end up reaping the same benefits by eating oatmeal.

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Keto And PCOS: How This Low-Carb Diet Helps Reduce Symptoms

The nutritional chart of one cup of cooked oatmeal is as follows:

  • Calories- 166
  • Fiber- 4 g
  • Protein- 5.94 g
  • Total fat- 3.56 g

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Cooking Oatmeal For Breakfast

Before you cook oatmeal, you have to note the variety you currently have or are purchasing. It will help in determining how long you will stay in the kitchen, making your dish of oatmeal.

If you have the oat groats, you must know that it takes a while before it cooks. So, this might not be a good option if you are in a rush. However, other varieties take less time to prepare. Therefore, you can quickly prepare an oatmeal breakfast with them no matter how pressed you are for time. 

Follow the steps below to cook your oatmeal:

  • Measure 1 1/2 cups of water or plant-based milk and let it boil.
  • Measure one-half cup of oats and add to the boiling water or milk. Stir to mix the two.
  • Lower your heat to medium and leave the oats to cook.
  • If you are using rolled, crushed, or steel-cut oats, let them simmer for ten to twenty minutes.
  • If you used the oat groats, then let it simmer for fifty to sixty minutes.
  • You can choose to add other ingredients, for example, sweeteners, to your oats. 

Read More: The Oatmeal Diet: Should You Try It, Or Is It Dangerous?

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Preparing The Carrot-Cake Oatmeal For Breakfast

Besides cooking your oatmeal, you can also choose to have fun with it and prepare a carrot-cake. Here is a step-by-step procedure on how to prepare this yummy cake for breakfast (1):

  • Measure 1 cup steel-cut oats, 3 cups water, and a pinch of salt. Pour them into a saucepan and let them simmer. 
  • Turn off your heat source immediately and let this mixture soak overnight. It will help in reducing the time you spend preparing this dish. 
  • Early in the morning, add 1/2 cup low-fat plant-based milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 shredded carrot, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/3 cup raisins. Stir to let all the ingredients mix well together. 
  • After that, place the mixture in medium-low heat to let it warm through.
  • It will be ready in a few minutes, and you can then top it with pecans or some maple syrup. The carrot-cake oatmeal dish can serve up to four people. It is a great breakfast idea if you are having your friends over for breakfast. 

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Rhubarb Oat Crisp

You can also use oatmeal to prepare some delicious rhubarb oat crisp for breakfast. The recipe for these crisps is from WebMD’s website, and it is as follows (2):

Ingredients

The ingredients for the topping include:

  • Quarter cup whole-wheat flour, 1 cup rolled oats, quarter cup brown sugar, quarter tsp salt, half tsp ground cinnamon, quarter cup white flour, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional), 1/4 cup less-fat margarine with plant sterols added (such as Take Control), one tbsp fat-free half-and-half
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For the filling, use the following ingredients:

  • 2 pounds (roughly six to seven cups) rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 tsp grated orange zest, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tsp vanilla extract.

Preparation

  • Preheat your oven to 375°C. Coat an 8 x 8-inch square baking dish using canola cooking spray and then leave it for some time.
  • Add your flours, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to mix them all. Add your chilled margarine bit by bit as well as your fat-free half-and-half to the mixture. Use a fork to create this moist crumb mixture.
  • Take another bowl and add your rhubarb, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Use a spoon to stir this mixture. 
  • Take the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and the 1/3 cup sugar and mix the two in a cup. Sprinkle it on your rhubarb mixture and then stir. 
  • Pour your fruit mixture on the prepared square baking dish or ramekins, and then top it off with the crumb mixture.
  • Let the mixture bake until your rhubarb tenderizes. It will take about forty minutes if you are using the square baking dish. 
  • Remove the dish from the oven after these forty minutes and set it aside to cool. Serve it while it is still warm.

Nutritional Analysis

The following recipe will give you at least six servings. The nutritional content for one serving is as follows:

  • Calories- 240
  • Total carbohydrates- 44 g
  • Total fat- 5 g
  • Protein- 5 g
  • Cholesterol- 0 mg
  • Fiber- 5 g
  • Sodium- 184 mg
  • Saturated fat- 0.9 g
  • Polyunsaturated fat- 1.5 g
  • Monounsaturated fat- 1.5 g

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Bagels And A Hot Drink

The next healthy vegan breakfast idea you can have this morning is a bagel and a hot beverage (5). You can choose to buy or prepare your vegan beverage. If you choose to buy it, then remember to pick the drink option prepared from almond, soy, or coconut milk.

The same applies to your bagels. If you choose to buy them, remember to ask for the vegan option. If you can find a whole-grain vegan bagel, that is even better. You will find that instead of having cream cheese, your bagel might, for example, have an avocado spread. 

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Vegan Scramble

You can still enjoy a scramble, even if it is not prepared from eggs. In this case, you will replace the eggs with tofu. You will also need leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale, and/or broccoli to make this vegan scramble. 

Since this meal contains fewer calories, it is a great breakfast idea weight watchers can try. 

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Whole Grain Toast With A Hot Beverage

If you are craving some toast, then go ahead and buy some whole-grain toast. It is rich in fiber that helps in preventing several digestive complications such as constipation. If you want more flavor on your toast, go ahead and spread either almond or peanut butter on it (8).

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1-Week Keto Meal Plan to Get You Started on a Low-Carb Diet

You can then prepare some hot chocolate or tea using plant-based milk and have it alongside your whole-grain toast.

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Avocado Toast

The next way you can enjoy your whole wheat bread is by preparing an avocado toast. Please search for a ripe avocado and spread it on your bread. You can enrich the flavor of this toast by adding a pinch of salt and some lemon juice or some cherry tomatoes.

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Whole Grain Cereal With Milk

The other vegan breakfast idea you can try is some whole-grain cereal with either almond or soy milk. This simple meal idea will provide you with enough energy to see you through your day’s activities.

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Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Whole-Grain Blueberry Pancakes

You can also prepare some delicious whole-grain blueberry pancakes for your vegan breakfast. You can use the following recipe obtained from Mayo Clinic’s website:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups white whole-wheat flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 1 1/3 cups almond milk

NOTE: Skim milk comes from animal products, which are unacceptable in a vegan diet. Therefore, we have substituted skim milk with almond milk. Similarly, eggs are not included in a vegan diet so consider an acceptable egg substitute fitting this recipe. 

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Preparation

  • Take a bowl and mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and sugar in it. Stir until all the products mix well together (10). 
  • Take another bowl and pour your almond milk in it and your egg substitute. Stir to mix the two. Add this liquid mixture to the solid mixture you prepared in step one. Mix the two until you get an even mixture of the two.
  • Gently pour your blueberries and continue to stir to distribute them evenly.
  • Turn your heat source to medium-high heat and place your griddle coated with cooking spray.
  • Pour at least a quarter cup of the mixture on the griddle. Let it cook until it is brown before flipping to cook the other side. Repeat until you have no more batter left. 

Nutritional Analysis

The nutritional value of one serving of these pancakes (prepared with skim milk and one egg) is as follows:

  • Calories- 158
  • Total fat- 4 g
  • Protein- 6 g
  • Total carbohydrate- 28 g
  • Cholesterol- 35 mg
  • Fiber- 4 g
  • Sodium-240 mg
  • Added sugars- 7 g
  • Trans fat- 0 g

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: Green Smoothie

Another incredible weight loss breakfast choice is the green smoothie. The recipe below for preparing this smoothie is from WebMD’s website (3). It is as follows:

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Ingredients

  • 2 medium ripe bananas, 2 cups fresh kale leaves, 1 apple or pear, peeled and chopped, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon flaxseed, ground, and 12 ice cubes

Preparation

  • Place all your ingredients in your smoothie maker and let them blend.

Nutritional Value

You will make two cups of the green smoothie using this recipe. The nutritional value of each serving is as follows:

  • Calories- 240
  • Cholesterol- 0 mg
  • Total fat- 3 g
  • Protein- 5 g
  • Total sugars- 28 g
  • Potassium- 987 mg
  • Total carbohydrates- 55 g
  • Fiber- 8 g
  • Sodium- 38 mg

Fitness App

Healthy Vegan Breakfast For Weight Loss: How To Fit In A Healthy Vegan Breakfast

If you want to start and maintain a healthy vegan breakfast every morning, then here are some tips for you:

  • Plan Ahead

If you are guessing that your morning will be hectic, prepare your breakfast the night before. For example, you can prepare a vegan bagel or burger and pack it to go. As such, you are sure you will not skip breakfast or spend time figuring out what you will eat.

  • Prepare Your Ingredients

Again, set out the ingredients you will use the night before (4). For example, if you will make oatmeal porridge using steel-cut oats, soak them the night before. Remember that they take a tremendous amount of time before they cook, which can discourage you from cooking breakfast. You can also make overnight oats that cook while you sleep and are ready for you when you wake up.

  • Be Creative

You can also incorporate and sustain these healthy vegan breakfast menus by getting creative in the kitchen. You are not tied by whatsoever recipe. So, try and come up with new cooking ideas that will motivate you always to cook breakfast.

If you are eating a vegan diet to promote weight loss, seek medical advice before trying out your new recipes. Dietitians will analyze them to determine their calories and nutritional value.

 

The Bottom Line

Eating a healthy vegan breakfast every morning can help improve your overall health and reduce your risk of several diseases. Similarly, it can provide you with essential minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, and other plant compounds. 

Some of the breakfast ideas you can try include oatmeal, vegan scramble, whole-grain toast, and green smoothies. 

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DISCLAIMER:

The information displayed in this article is solely for educational purposes only. Seek professional assistance before making any dietary changes.

SOURCES:

  1. 8 Heart-Friendly Breakfast Ideas (2018, webmd.com)
  2. Beyond Oatmeal: Oat Recipes and Tips (2006, webmd.com)
  3. Green Smoothie (2020, webmd.com)
  4. Healthy breakfast: Quick, flexible options (2020, mayoclinic.org)
  5. Vegan fast food: 33 plant-based options (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
  6. Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Explained (2020, webmd.com)
  7. What are the benefits of oatmeal? (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)
  8. What are the best breakfasts for losing weight? (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)
  9. What Is a Vegan Diet? (2019, webmd.com)
  10. Whole-wheat blueberry pancakes (2015, mayoclinic.org)