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Eating a healthy and balanced breakfast is one of the best ways to nourish your body first thing in the morning, promoting weight loss and boosting satiety to reduce overeating throughout the day. Just as some foods may inadvertently slow your body’s ability to burn fat, there are also meals which can speed up your metabolism and allow your natural fat burning capabilities to become more effective.
Rather than skipping breakfast and ‘saving’ those calories to create the necessary deficit for weight loss, there’s one meal that dietitians agree can streamline the weight loss process for significant results without sacrificing foods you love.
Breakfast Burrito
The key factor determining the value of your meal within your diet is the nutrients it contains, and depending on what you include in your breakfast burrito, this could be a great way to include a balance of protein, fat and carbs in a delicious breakfast. “The breakfast burrito is one of the most convenient breakfasts with the potential to provide excellent health benefits. While some breakfast burritos are packed with high fat ingredients and refined carbs that slow your metabolism, they can be made without them and be just as delicious, if not more,” explains registered dietitian Trista Best.
A healthy diet is all about making small swaps to include more nutritionally dense ingredients into your meals, so rather than making your burrito with empty calories from white carbs, use a wheat wrap to offer more fiber, keeping you full for longer and kickstarting your metabolism at the beginning of the day. “Start with using a whole wheat wrap rather than one made with refined carbs. Having a base of eggs can improve metabolism and provide a great source of protein first thing in the morning to keep you full for longer,” says Best. Protein is essential for weight loss, particularly when it comes to an effective metabolism, and not only will the eggs keep you full but they will also help fuel your muscles, and more muscle mass naturally promotes a faster metabolism.
As for add ons to your burrito, filling your breakfast with a variety of vegetables is an easy way to meet your recommended intake for the day while also increasing the density and flavor of your meal. “Add nutrient dense ingredients like spinach, peppers, onions, and a small amount of cheese,” suggests Best. Creating this mix ahead of time will allow for a breakfast that can be kept frozen for later, cutting down on time spent in the kitchen. “[Breakfast burritos] will keep you full, fuel you with dense nutrition, and help boost your metabolism through it's protein and fiber,” she says.
Contrary to popular belief, a meal tailored to nourish your body and promote weight loss does not have to be lacking in calories to do its job. Starting your morning off with a breakfast burrito will increase satiety through the protein and carb content, and in fueling muscle growth will naturally boost your metabolism for an easier time burning fat. Rounded out with a balance of all the necessary macronutrients needed for a healthy body, a breakfast burrito is one of the most filling and effective ways to lose weight with ease, starting in the morning.
