Breakfast as the most important family meal

Breakfast special

By Suzanne Gibbs

Breakfast is rightly championed as the most important family meal, providing all the nutrients you need to get the most out of your day.

Whether you like to linger over the papers, grab something on the run or cook up something special on the weekend, you’ll love this recipe collection of quick and tasty morning marvels.

Dairy

Choose low-fat or reduced-fat yogurt, milk and cheese products. Use ricotta whipped with a little icing sugar as a substitute for cream. Reduced-fat ricotta has about five per cent fat and has less salt than regular cheese.

Cooking the perfect egg

The boiled egg has been popular for breakfast for many years. Place eggs in a saucepan of water and bring to the boil. This helps to prevent cracking. Start timing when the water starts boiling. It will take 3 minutes for a medium-sized egg to be soft-boiled. Fat and cholesterol in an egg is found in the yolk only. If your blood cholesterol level is high, limit your intake of egg yolks.

Daily bread

In Australia we are fortunate enough to have many good local bakeries, making many interesting types of bread. Try to eat a wide variety - wholegrain, multigrain, wholemeal and turkish.

Tick of approval

If you find shopping for healthy choices confusing, look for this symbol when considering a purchase. The Tick Program is the Heart Foundation’s guide to help you make healthier food choices quickly and easily. All foods with the tick meet strict standards for saturated fat, sodium and kilojoules, where appropriate.

Fruit

Fruit has many nutritional benefits – it’s high in fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Aim to eat two pieces of fruit every day and buy fruits in season for the best flavour and value.