The Most Important Meal of the Day

Information and Ideas for Healthy Breakfast Options

Do you find yourself feeling ready for a nap around 10:30 each morning?  Having a hard time getting motivated at work or home?  Do you find yourself eating more than you had planned later in the day?  If so, it could be that you need to switch up your breakfast routine.  Skipping breakfast or eating unhealthy foods is a bad idea.  It leaves you feeling sluggish and out of sorts, and can cause folks to reach for a quick pick me up filled with sugar and fat when the slump hits.  When you start your day off with a healthy breakfast, you will have the energy you need for whatever you have to do.

Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day.  Without a solid foundation to start the day, your body feels sluggish and it’s hard to concentrate.  Here are some ideas to help you get the most out of your breakfast, and to allow you to have the energy you deserve to have each day.

• PROTEIN has amino acids that help you build and maintain healthy body tissue. It keeps you feeling full longer, and helps control cravings throughout the day.  Foods high in protein include oatmeal, steel cut oats, eggs, walnut/almond butter, Greek yogurt, and quinoa.  These foods will build you up first thing in the morning and carry you into a busy day.
• FIBER is a low calorie substance that will also fill you up. It promotes healthy digestion and elimination and can lower your risk of colon cancer and high cholesterol.  Good choices are berries, especially raspberries, cherries, blueberries and bananas.  Berries are also high in antioxidants, which boost the immune system and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.
• CARBOHYDRATES are the body’s primary source of energy, especially within the nervous system and brain. Simple carbs, like sugar, honey, and processed foods, should be avoided.  Instead, turn to complex carbs, like grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables.  Spelt or Ezekiel toast, oatmeal, and even barley or sweet potato are good choices.
• BEVERAGE choices for a healthy start to the day include green tea, which prevents cell damage, organic coffee, or even a tasty smoothie. Look back to our July blogs, beginning with for recipes.

Eating a healthy breakfast doesn’t have to be time consuming.  With good planning and commitment, it can become a daily part of your life, and you will enjoy benefits throughout the day and long term.  On the weekends, make a big batch of whole grain pancakes or waffles and freeze them.  During the week, pop them in the toaster and enjoy with some almond or walnut butter.  You can also make hard boiled eggs, which are packed with protein, and they can be a quick on-the-go breakfast with berries or an apple.  Also, consider trying one of the following delicious recipes for even more healthy breakfast goodness, compliments of Elana’s Pantry.

Breakfast Bars

• 1 ¼ cup blanched almond flour
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup blanched slivered almonds
• ¼ cup raisins
• In a small bowl, combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
• In a large bowl, combine grapeseed oil, agave, and vanilla
• Stir dry ingredients into wet
• Mix in coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almond slivers, and raisins
• Grease an 8×8 baking dish with grapeseed oil
• Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with water to help pat the dough down evenly
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
• Cool bars in pan for 2 hours, then cut up, store, or serve

Carrot Banana Muffins

• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup dates, pitted
• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 ½ cups carrots, shredded
• ¾ cup walnuts, finely chopped

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
• In a food processor, combine dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar, and oil
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl
• Blend dry mixture into wet until thoroughly combined
• Fold in carrots and walnuts
• Spoon mixture into paper lined muffin pan
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

We can’t stress enough the importance of eating a good breakfast each day.  Remember that in addition to the health benefits above, it helps control cravings, stabilizes blood sugar levels, assists with weight loss and allows you to focus on the things that are important to you.  When you start your day off in a healthy way, you will make better food choices throughout the day, and it will help you lose and maintain weight.  You have been learning a lot with us, and we want you to be well and happy.  Please let us know how we can help.

Next time we will talk about the importance of drinking water throughout the day, and will offer recommendations on choosing no-BPA water bottles.