Whatever happened to that age-old advice to “start the day with a hearty breakfast?” These days, many of us either don’t eat at all or we grab ‘n’ go: a bagel, donut or a muffin or at best a highly processed protein bar or shake. If we have the time, we may swing by the local fast food joint for a warm breakfast. Is this what our bodies really need to get us going in the morning?
Breakfast is really just that: breaking – the – fast. When you wake up, you’ve been without food for 8-10 hours so you need to power up your body to meet the day. Tempted to skip breakfast? Don’t! You’ll miss out on important nutrients that your body needs to keep you healthy and maintain steady energy and blood sugar.
Additionally a heart breakfast first thing in the morning cranks up your metabolism and starts you fully burning calories earlier.Want one more good reason? Studies have shown that if you skip breakfast, you may be more likely to make up those missed calories by over-eating later in the day. Not very desirable, right?
Okay, so assuming that I’ve convinced you that breakfast is important, why not grab a pastry , pancakes or protein bar? Several reasons:
- Eating sweets and refined carbohydrates in the morning can quickly raise and subsequently drop your blood sugar, making you crave more sweets later in the day.
- When you eat sugary foods, you’re not getting the proteins, fiber and nutrients you need to fuel your body efficiently.
- Since our bodies are particularly sensitive to sugars, they should be minimized at breakfast unless buffered by sufficient amounts of protein, fiber and fat.
- Whole real food is preferable to highly refined commercial items with unpronounceable ingredients.
- Blend up a fresh smoothie with yogurt or kefir, you may want to throw in some fresh kale or spinach. Great with a side of whole grain toast and natural peanut butter.
- Cook up some whole grain oatmeal or other whole grain hot cereal and serve with nuts (I love walnuts) and fruit (try fresh or frozen berries, raisins or sliced banana).
- Spread natural nut butters (I prefer the kind the grocery or health food store has fresh ground) on a variety of whole grain breads, crackers or bagels.
- Toast some whole grain waffles and top with nut butter and fresh fruit.
- Dress up your favorite yogurt or cottage cheese with almonds and chopped apple, blueberries or dried apricots. Add a whole grain English muffin with cream cheese, if you like.
- Scramble up some tofu or eggs with veggies, fresh fruit and whole grain crackers.
- Make a vegan wrap of tempeh “bacon,” tofu scrambled “eggs” and sliced avocado rolled in a whole wheat flour tortilla.
- Make “cheese toast” by melting cheddar on sprouted wheat bread and serve with an apple or a pear.
- Try an overnight muesli or other type of grain breakfast. I will e-mail you my favorite breakfast recipe.
YOUR CHALLENGE FOR WEEK 3 IS TO EAT A WHOLESOME, WHOLE FOOD, HEALTHY BREAKFAST. FOR EVERY DAY YOU DO THIS YOU EARN THE 5 BONUS POINTS FOR THE WEEKLY CHALLENGE!
* By the way one of my favorite breakfasts was at my daughter's mother in law's home-warm walnuts with agave nectar and fruit! MMMMMMMM!
Balance eat drink do
ReplyDeleteOBESITY, epidemic which galloping extends in developed countries. Instead of "Balance you eat drink and do"... Eat is a non-renouncing pleasure. Solution: together with normal Food Line, to make other Line with FOODS THAT NOT NOURISHING (hyper lights), for example: the wonderful "Relieve-cookies from Mercadona", but it has 1000 kcal/pack 200 grs, instead of make them with wheat-meal, make them with cellulose-meal which is non-assimilable and with artificial sweetening instead of sugar, and to make them with 100 times less kcal. The challenge is to make them equal of delicious. And to make all that non-foods in the same way. Will them achieve it?. Kind regards.
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