8 breakfast recipes for energy

There are days when you don’t wish to get out of your bed in the morning. While the quality of your sleep makes a lot of difference, your food also plays a key role in your energy levels. Breakfast, often referred to as ‘brain food’, plays a crucial role in fueling both the body and mind. It provides the essential energy needed to tackle tasks throughout the day. A healthy breakfast should include carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats to give you energy. A bowl of cereal or oats or fruits with fresh juice may be your way of starting the day. But you can also try some of these energy-boosting breakfast recipes.

Breakfast recipes for energy

Starting the day with a nutritious breakfast sets the tone for a productive and fulfilling day ahead, says dietitian Shilpa S Baiju. You should not skip it if you don’t want to feel sleepy.

Here are some breakfast recipes for energy!

1. Rice and moong dal idli

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rice
• 1/4 tablespoon fenugreek
• 1/2 cup green moong dal or green gram
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• Salt

Method

• Soak dal, rice, and fenugreek.
• Blend them into a smooth paste.
• Add onions, carrots, and salt.
• Steam them in idli maker for 10 minutes.

2. Jowar upma

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup jowar flour
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 tablespoon hing or asafoetida
• ½ cup boiled peas
• ½ cup onions
• ½ cup semolina
• 2 tablespoon green chilli paste
• Salt

Method

• Sauté mustard seeds, hing, add onions, then jowar flour and semolina.
• Mix in green chilli paste, peas, and water.
• Cook until thickened.

3. Wheat-green peas parathas

Ingredients

• ½ cup wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped green chilies
• ½ cup boiled green peas
• 1 tablespoon low-fat curd
• 1/8 tablespoon ajwain or carom seed
• Salt
• ¼ tablespoon oil

Method

• Blend peas, mix with other ingredients to form dough.
• Roll into parathas, cook with oil until golden.

4. Oats upma

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats
• 1 onion
• ¾ cup mixed vegetables
• 3 green chillies
• ½ cup water
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

Method

• Sauté spices and onion.
• Add vegetables, oats, and water.
• Cook covered until done.

5. Quinoa puttu

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa flour
• ½ cup water
• Salt
• ½ cup shredded coconut

Method

• Roast quinoa flour, mix with salt and water.
• Layer with coconut and steam for 4 minutes.

6. Beetroot dosa

Ingredients

• 2 cups idli dosa batter
• 1 small beetroot
• 2 red chillies
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
• Oil

Method

• Grind cumin seeds, asafoetida, chillies and beetroot.
• Mix it with the batter
• Cook dosas until done.

7. Multigrain parathas

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon each of ragi, cornflour, and oats flour
• Salt
• Water
• Ghee

Method

Make dough and roll into parathas. cook with ghee until golden.

8. Egg paratha

Ingredients

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 onion
• 3 green chillies
• 1 capsicum
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
• Oil
• 2 carrots (grated)

Method

• Make dough with wheat flour, roll into chapattis.
• Mix eggs, chillies, onion, capsicum, carrots.
• Stuff the egg mixture in the chapattis and cook until done.

How do these breakfast recipes boost energy?

The ingredients in these recipes contribute to boosting energy in several ways:

1. Complex carbohydrates

Ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats, quinoa, and jowar are rich in complex carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are broken down slowly by the body, providing a steady release of energy over time, says Baiju.

2. Proteins

Ingredients such as green gram, eggs, and quinoa are excellent sources of protein. Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth and helps keep you feeling full and satisfied, so they sustain energy levels.

3. Fiber

Many of the ingredients, including green peas, vegetables, and whole wheat flour, are high in dietary fiber. Fiber aids in digestion and helps regulate blood sugar levels, preventing spikes and crashes in energy.

4. Healthy fats

Ingredients like coconut oil and ghee provide healthy fats, which are a concentrated source of energy and help in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, says the expert.

These dishes can provide a sustained source of energy, keeping you fuelled throughout the day.