If breakfast has started to feel less like the most important meal of the day and more like a rushed compromise between hunger, convenience and whatever is left in the fridge, this is for you. Breakfast is the easiest place to begin, if you are trying to eat in a way that feels a little calmer and a little kinder to your body. These anti-inflammatory breakfast recipes are mainly about building meals around the basics that tend to show up again and again in healthier dietary patterns: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, healthy fats and herbs and spices like ginger and turmeric.
The good news is that this does not have to mean obscure powders, expensive berries flown in from elsewhere or a breakfast that tastes like punishment. It can look a lot more ordinary than that: oats, curd, fruit, eggs, moong, seeds, peanut butter, a bit of ginger. The kind of ingredients that are already sitting in most Indian kitchens, waiting to be used with a little more imagination.
Read on for five simple anti-inflammatory breakfast recipes that you'll be able to whip up, even when all you want to do is hit the snooze button.
You’ll need:
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup milk or unsweetened plant milk
1 small banana, sliced
A handful of berries or chopped strawberries
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
A pinch of cinnamon
How to make it:
Cook the oats in milk until creamy. Top with banana, berries, chia, walnuts and cinnamon. If you want it sweeter, add a teaspoon of honey.
You’ll need:
1 cup soaked moong dal
A small handful of spinach
1 inch ginger
1 green chilli
Salt
A little oil or ghee
How to make it:
Blend the soaked moong with spinach, ginger, chilli, salt and a splash of water into a batter. Pour onto a hot pan like a chilla and cook on both sides until golden. Eat with curd or mint chutney.
You’ll need:
2 eggs
¼ tsp turmeric
Black pepper
Salt
1 slice sourdough or whole grain toast
A few slices of avocado or 2 tbsp hung curd
A drizzle of olive oil
How to make it:
Scramble or fry the eggs with turmeric, salt and pepper. Spoon over toast and finish with avocado or hung curd and a little olive oil.
You’ll need:
1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
½ cup papaya, chopped
A few spoonfuls of pomegranate
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
A pinch of cinnamon or crushed cardamom
How to make it:
Spoon the curd into a bowl, pile on the fruit, finish with pumpkin seeds and your spice of choice.
You’ll need:
½ cup rolled oats
1 tsp oil
½ onion, chopped
A handful of mixed vegetables like carrot, peas or capsicum
1 inch ginger, grated
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
Salt and pepper
How to make it:
Sauté onion, vegetables and ginger in a little oil. Add turmeric, oats and water. Cook until soft and porridge-like. Stir in flaxseed at the end.
This article was originally published on Vogue India.
