Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so what foods can get us off to a good start without feeling starved by 10am? I'm not yet one of those people that bounces out of bed it the morning wide eyed and ready to take on the day. Although I'm no longer dragging myself out of bed, I do like to lie there and get up at the last possible minute, which reduces the time I have for breakfast. My impression is that for most people, getting a good breakfast is a struggle. So we opt for boxed breakfast cereal because it is fast. Or we skip breakfast and pick up a muffin along with a coffee on the way to work. Let's face it. Often the time it takes to line up, order a coffee and snack, pay for and receive it, is more than the time it would take to have something healthy at home. And after eating a coffee shop breakfast one finds that by 10 or 10h30 am we are feeling hungry again, so we head down to the the coffee shop again for more coffee and a snack. Well needless to day, this is not a good cycle to get into. There is pretty much no nutrition in boxed breakfast cereal no matter what the box says, and all it provides is simple sugars that raise insulin levels which are inflammatory to the arteries. And the insulin quickly stores the blood sugar as fat in the fat cells, making one hungry quickly, as there was no nutrition there to feed the cells. So, what are some other options that are more nourishing and still sort of fast? I think the thought of turning on the stove makes one think that breakfast is a long time away, but these ideas are really quite fast.
These breakfasts may be unconventional but they are far more nourishing, so your cells won't be crying for more food by mid-morning. Your blood sugar will stay even, and you will probably find you can focus better at work. The key is thinking ahead and having options available. I find if I have meat for breakfast I can last well into the early afternoon without feeling the least bit hungry. These meat breakfasts do not have to be huge. A half a cup of chilli is plenty to last me all morning, whereas if I eat half a cup of cereal I am hungry an hour later. Some people will need more animal foods than others to last until lunch. Many people like having cereal for breakfast, so here are some ways to make it more nourishing.
Smoothies are another popular breakfast and they too can be satisfying if there is not too much added sugar. In order to prevent hunger pangs, they must contain enough fat and protein so the body gets all the macronutrients it needs to keep the cells running. Smoothies can be as different as one's imagination, but stick to unprocessed foods to obtain the most nutrition. I'm not a huge fan of protein powders as they are highly processed, and spray-drying whey protein oxidizes the cholesterol in it making it harmful in my opinion. I personally feel much more comfortable putting a fresh raw egg from pastured chickens in my smoothie, but some may feel that is too risky, so do what feels right to you. Here are some ingredients you can play with.
Or for a more savoury smoothie that tastes more like gazpacho, mix in a blender:
The smoothies alone don't last long enough for me, but the savoury one along with a piece of chicken would work well for breakfast or lunch. Please do keep the comments coming on my blog. If you want to share this article, scroll to the very bottom and click the "share" icon to post on Facebook, Twitter etc. If you want to subscribe or search for other posts by title or by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca. Related tips:Whole foods equals complete nutrition Blood sugar regulation Maintain bone mass by preparing grains, nuts and seeds properly Processed food is taking over our supermarkets Copyright 2010 Vreni Gurd www.wellnesstips.ca |
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