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A Harvard doctor shares the 3-ingredient breakfast she eats at work every morning

Harvard physician Monique Tello said that the typical American breakfast makes her "want to cry."

When Harvard physician Monique Tello looks at the typical American breakfast, she said, it makes her "want to cry."

"A bowl of cereal, or a bagel, or a piece of toast, or a muffin are all no different than a dessert," Tello wrote in a recent Harvard Health blog post.

Think about it — most blueberry muffins aren't much different from cupcakes, and pancakes are little more than fried dough with liquid sugar poured on top.

"Eating like this may be okay once in a while, but if you do so often, I guarantee these foods will make you sick, one way or another," Tello said.

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Many American breakfast foods (like cereal, waffles, and pastries) are primarily made up of refined carbs — a type of unhealthy carbohydrate that gets rapidly turned into sugar in our bodies. And they lack two nourishing ingredients: protein and fiber. As a result, breakfast can be a nutritional disaster.

The solution is a meal that's high in protein to fuel our muscles and has plenty of fiber, which fills us up and regulates our digestion.

Here's what Tello eats: a combination of berries, Icelandic-style (high protein) yogurt, and a mix of nuts, seeds, and rolled oats.

"I’m a working mom. I take the train into work. I need something quick, easy, and transportable. Plus, it needs to be budget-friendly, and must hold me over for a number of hours," Tello said.

So her breakfast is based around three simple ingredients:

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  • Berries:
  • Tello
  • Nuts, seeds, and/or whole grains:
  • Yogurt:

To make her meal, she pours the nuts and seeds over the defrosted berries, and stirs the yogurt into the mixture.

"Don’t forget your spoon!" she said.

If you're not a fan of yogurt and berries, the nutritional profile of Tello's breakfast can be replicated in dozens of other forms. A couple of hard-boiled eggs and a piece of whole grain toast would work too; as would some turkey bacon and a whole wheat English muffin or a couple of tablespoons of no-sugar added peanut butter with sliced apples.

As long as your meal features whole grains (not refined ones) and good sources of protein, fiber, and some healthy fats, you're good to go. The combination of ingredients will fill you up and keep you fueled for hours.

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