Brunch has to be the best meal of the day. We make a huge brunch every Saturday morning that is full of our favorite breakfast foods. My husband LOVES homemade waffles. He would eat them every day if they were available. Over time, I have worked to make them healthier for him.
The first substitute: wheat flour. Having waffles with white flour (or any other breakfast carbohydrate) is a great way to ruin your day. Seriously! Those white carbs turn into sugar when digested. This causes you to have a sugar rush, quickly followed by a sugar crash. This leaves you feeling tired and lethargic for a few hours until your body recovers. There is also close to zero nutritional value, but most of you already know this.
The second substitution: change your toppings. The easiest one to change is your syrup. Getting 100% pure maple syrup is one of the best things you can do. It has natural sugars in it that your body can use for energy, so it won't cause a sugar crash. It also is free from all the chemicals and junk in regular syrup. I think it tastes alot better too, but thats obviously not a fact.
You can also substitute the butter that you put on waffles with peanut butter. This will add healthy fat and protein (from the peanuts) to your meal. It will leave you feeling fuller longer, which will ward off over-eating throughout the rest of the day. For people who try to stay away from dairy, this is a good option.
The last substitution: add fruit. Ok, I know this is technically an addition, not a substitution, but just hear me out. Cut up your favorite fruits and add them to the waffles. Cut up fruits fit great in the waffles and the fruit/ syrup mix is an awesome combination. We like to put berries on our waffles.
Even though these substitutions are meant specifically for waffles, they are still a good rule of thumb to start with for any breakfast carbohydrate. Stick to wheat instead of white, use natural sweeteners, and add fruit. Substituting your breakfast in this way will help you to stay full, satisfied, and energized all morning long. Isn't that better than feeling sick and sluggish all morning?
Make sure to check out my website for more great recipes and substitution ideas.
Wishing you all health, hope, and happiness
Abby
Perfect! I know I need to cut out the white flour in my food. At home, I'm ok with that, but when I eat out, I am not as strict. When it comes to waffles, if you ask me, the whole wheat is better anyway. You mentioned putting fruit IN your waffles, but how about also on top? Yum! Just another way to get them even fresher!
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