Breakfast is hard. For many, a typical morning consists of racing around to get ready and running out of the house with a cup of coffee in hand. But if we skip breakfast, we are missing the most important meal of the day.
Breakfast is literally a break from the fast. Your body has gone all night long without food, and when you wake up, it is in need of energy. A meal first thing in the morning replenishes your supply of glucose and provides other essential nutrients to keep your energy levels up throughout the day.
It has been said that we should eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a Pauper. Put into practice, breakfast should be a feast. But not just any feast. Not a feast of cheap, over-processed pop tarts, frozen waffles, or sugar-filled cereal. A breakfast meant for a King should be majestic! Think organic eggs, a rainbow of vegetables, high-quality meats and healthy fats like organic grass-fed butter or avocado. But breakfast doesn’t have to be eggs. Try steel cut oats with raspberries and macadamia nuts paired with a protein shake instead.
Starting your day with a balanced meal that includes protein, vegetables, smart carbs and healthy fats will do several things for you:
- Research shows that your more likely to consume fewer total calories in one day if you eat breakfast versus if you skip.
- A healthy, balanced breakfast will curb your appetite and carry you through to lunch without the need for a mid-morning snack. (Think donuts in your office break room and candy bowls on your neighbor’s desk!)
- Breakfast restores glucose levels, an essential carbohydrate that is needed for the brain to function. Research involving adults and children has indicated that breakfast might enhance memory, attention, the speed of processing information, reasoning, creativity, learning, and verbal abilities.
If time is the issue, consider meal prepping on Sunday. There are great crock pot recipes for overnight oatmeal, or you can whip up some “egg muffins” to keep on hand and microwave once you get to the office. Research shows that a meal within 2 hours of waking is beneficial, so for those of you that don’t like eating right when you wake up, allow yourself this window! No more excuses.
I am always creating new breakfast dishes, so if you’re looking for creative, fresh ideas, come talk to me. I’m sure we can find something that will work for you!
