Life

7 Weird Things To Eat For Breakfast

We're all so convinced that breakfast must include something sugary, like a heaping pile of pancakes, a donut, or a big bowl of cereal. And sure, all of those things are delicious. But how about a more interesting breakfast to start off your day?

It's true that these more traditional breakfast items rule the morning. Many people would scoff at the idea of anything that isn't warm or sugary or full of bread. And when you think about it, the only savory thing we find acceptable for breakfast is eggs, and even then we only want them with a side of toast or some OJ.

It can be difficult to change your palate — to break away from the idea that breakfast needs to be sweet, but I promise it will be totally worth it to try something new. Think of the first time you had leftover pizza for breakfast. When I started eating things for breakfast that weren't breakfast foods I realized, "hey, food is food," and never looked back.

There are benefits to starting your morning off with something a little more hearty. You'll have more energy, you'll feel fuller until lunch, and you'll be starting your day the nutritious way (it's impossible to say that without sounding like a commercial), instead of pumping yourself full of sugar.

Here are some unconventional breakfast ideas that will totally change your idea of what's OK to eat in the morning.

1. A Hearty Salad

What you really want to do when you wake up is "break" your "fast" from the night. The best way to do that is with some nutritious food, and it doesn't get much more nutritious than a salad — especially when you can pile on pretty much anything you want. According to Kate Bratskeir for The Huffington Post " ... a salad can do it all since ingredient combinations are limitless. How often has a piece of toast satisfied your sporadic, simultaneous craving for something sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy and tangy?" My answer to the toast question is "pretty much never."

2. A Steamy Bowl Of Soup

Think about it — one of the reasons we love coffee or tea in the morning is because it's hot and warms us up. So why not try soup for breakfast? It's warm, it's portable, and it can be made with pretty much anything you have in your fridge. Here are a few breakfast soup ideas from the blog, The Kitchn.

3. Grab A Slice Of Pizza

We've all had cold pizza for breakfast, usually when we are hungover, overly tired, or late for work. Leftovers are great, but you can also make your own breakfast pizza. The great thing about pizza, and the running theme in this list, is that you can add to it whatever you like and it's totally portable. What's better than that?

4. Grill Up Some Fish

Lots of people eat fish for breakfast all around the world. But not everyone thinks about it here in the good old U S of A. If you have the time, grilling up a piece of fish is going to make for an excellent breakfast because it has a lot of protein and healthy omega oils. If the idea of fish in the morning sounds like too much, you can also put it in more traditional breakfast foods like in a quiche, or even mixed with grits.

5. Make Yourself A Sandwich (Any Sandwich)

You should really eat whatever your body is craving, because that's probably what it needs nutrition-wise. So if you're craving some salami, mustard, and onions on a roll, then have at it, even though that is for from traditional breakfast fare.

6. Fried Rice

Again, this may be a leftover of yours, and that's cool. But you may also be interested in making your own breakfast fried rice, like this recipe here from the blog How Sweet It Is. Rice is another good source of protein, and will keep you full so you won't want to go lurking around for snacks at 10 AM.

We often eat traditional foods like cereal and yogurt for breakfast without thinking of any other options. Change things up and expand your repertoire by starting your day with some of these more interesting breakfast ideas.

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