Breakfast can set the nutritional tone for the rest of the day, so what do doctors who take care of people’s hearts eat in the morning?
TODAY.com asked two cardiologists about their breakfast habits and the top mistakes they see patients make.
“Many people are in an incredible time crunch in the morning and usually reach for comfort foods like toaster pastries, processed breakfast cereals and bars that have as much sugar as some of the candy bars out there,” Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, tells TODAY.com.
So a breakfast that’s heart-healthy, easy to make and contains enough variety to prevent boredom is key, says Dr. Susan Cheng, a professor of cardiology and the director of public health research in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
She knows some people aren’t hungry in the morning and skip breakfast — and that’s OK if it works for you, she notes.
“(But) for the most part, people do benefit from having something in the morning,” Cheng says.
“They find that they get off to a good start and feel better, healthier, more energetic over the course of the day.”
What cardiologists eat for breakfast:
Oatmeal
Both doctors cited oats as their regular favorite breakfast. Oatmeal contains lots of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and studies associate it with lowering cholesterol and helping with weight control, according to the American Heart Association.
“My go-to is really oatmeal,” Freeman says. “In general, I recommend oatmeal as the best option.”
He advises a small cup of oatmeal made with water, not milk or butter, and loaded high with berries, plus additional heart-healthy ingredients such as ground flax seed or a few walnuts. Don’t use instant oatmeal, which is the most processed — go with rolled oats instead, he suggests.
Cheng likes overnight oats with chia seeds soaked in non-dairy milk (to reduce fat intake, especially saturated fat), along with dried…
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