We've all heard the saying, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," because it plays a vital role in balancing blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day. But more often than not, it's rushed or overlooked.
Lauren Kremer, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, understands that no two people and their dietary needs are alike and offered her top insights to "Good Morning America" to help people avoid the traps of traditional carb- and sugar-heavy breakfasts.
"What happens to our blood sugar [after eating a carb- and sugar-heavy breakfast] is it goes all the way up and spikes, and then can come crashing down," she told "Good Morning America," explaining that this can quickly lead to feelings of fatigue and hunger.
The solution, Kremer said, is a protein-rich breakfast.
MORE: Spice up date night with Cedric Vongerichten's salmon crostini with tomato salad recipe"Protein is so important to include in a healthy breakfast. It has many health benefits including reducing blood sugar spikes, increasing satiety, reducing cravings, and giving you the energy your body needs to have a productive day," Kremer said.
For anyone in a rush first thing in the morning, especially parents like Nicole Kim, the thought of preparing a meal bright and early usually means finding "what's easy, grab-and-go, [and] fast to cook."
Breakfast stuffed bell peppers and 2 more easy on-the-go recipes"The breakfast challenge is just the pickiness between the two kids and what they want," Kim told "GMA" about her own family. "We definitely want to just make sure they have some calories in them before they head to school."
Kremer recently visited Berkeley Bowl Marketplace, a health food-centric supermarket in California's East Bay region, to help the Kim family find some healthier breakfast swaps.
Since Kim said her kids have a tough time with savory foods but love pancakes, Kremer suggested a better option like Kodiak Cakes, a boxed protein pancake mix that contains 15-grams of protein but excludes "a lot of the added sugar."
MORE: What's for dinner? Healthy grilled BBQ shrimp is a perfect summer mealTraditional pancake mix, by contrast, has 1/5 the amount of protein as the Kodiak Cake mix.
The protein power of eggs:
"For breakfast, my No. 1 go-to is always eggs," Kremer said. "I make a dozen hard boiled eggs on Sunday so they are easy to grab for breakfast for the week. My kiddos love them too."
MORE: Egg cooking questions answered! Hard-boiled to pan fried and other tips and tricks
Alternative proteins and utilizing leftovers:
"Other high protein options are Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, breakfast tacos, and another favorite of mine -- leftovers," Kremer added. "Breakfast doesn't have to look like the typical American style breakfast of cereal or pancakes. I will often make an extra serving of dinner just so I have leftovers to eat the next morning for breakfast. Chicken, fish, steak -- it all works first thing in the morning to get your day started off right."
"Look for foods that have real ingredients in them, ideally NOT from a package," Kremer said. "This does require cooking and preparation, but it'll be worth it in the end."
She also recommends "making a meal plan on the weekend for the following week and an accompanying grocery list to make the process easier."
"If you do include packaged foods, try to avoid foods that are high in sugar with long lists of ingredients that are unfamiliar to you."
MORE: All the produce in season during summer, plus recipes to make them shine
"Breakfast just means 'break fast'," Kremer said, reiterating that certain foods like "pancakes, waffles and cereal are all cultural."
"We can break our fast with whatever we'd like," she said. "It doesn't have to look like the 'typical American breakfast.'"
Check out the list of ideas below to get cookin'!
Hard-boiled egg on toast
Chia pudding
Egg sandwich / Egg in the hole
Berries and nuts Greek yogurt parfait
Avocado toast with smoked salmon
Berries and nuts with cottage cheese
Breakfast tacos
Vegetable frittata
Tofu scramble
Leftovers
