How do you start your day? With a cup of coffee and bagel in hand? Cold cereals, orange juice and Pop-tarts? I hate to burst this bubble (because it’s a big one for a lot of people), but these my friends, are often the breakfasts of overweight, pre-diabetic, exhausted individuals. That’s right, the old model of cereal and OJ are long OVER, over-due.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Yes, it’s still true, breakfast really IS the MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day and as such we need to start treating it like that— Eat this meal as if you were a God or Goddess. Your body has been fasting all night long, your blood sugar should be low and both your body and brain need a kick-start.
When to eat Breakfast? (simple answer!)
You want to ensure that you eat breakfast within one to two hours of waking and include protein with this vital meal. If you find yourself not hungry or gagging at the sight of eating food first thing in the morning, opt for a liquid breakfast such as a shake or smoothie to ease the transition of food into your body.
I also like to start my day with a warm glass of lemon water and green tea to aid in natural healthy elimination and get my digestive juices flowing.
Here’s the real low-down on why you cannot afford to skip breakfast…
1. Keeps the Monster in the Cage: When the irritable, tired, dizzy and unable to concentrate mind comes out to play, you can be sure it’s likely due to low blood sugar. A good friend of mine calls this Hangry: Hungry + Angry = a recipe for rage disaster. Don’t let your blood sugar get too low to this point. Eat consistent square meals at regular intervals throughout the day to keep blood sugar from going haywire.
2. Improves Fat Burn: Eating breakfast sets up your metabolic rate and fat burning capabilities for the rest of the day. Eat breakfast and manage your weight. Simple.
3. Creates Sexy Balanced Hormones: Skipping breakfast or any meals for that matter wreaks havoc on your pretty little hormones. Keep estrogen and progesterone in check by eating a solid breakfast packed with protein. When out of whack, these two hormones in particular can create nasty mood-swings, energy highs and lows and feels of depression and anxiety. Opt for eggs, lean chicken, protein smoothie, legumes and nuts to start your day.
4. Boosts Brain Power: Consuming a good breakfast is critical to rev up your most important engine— your brain. Real nutrition packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and omega-3 will help you focus, concentrate and enhance cognitive function.
5. Reduces Binging and Cravings: Eat breakfast and ensure adequate protein to avoid afternoon cravings and late-night binges. The body often goes looking for extra calories and nutrients when it lacks the proper balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Avoid sugary breakfasts that contribute to energy highs and lows and make you want to kill for sugar at 3 p.m.
Here is one of my favourite classic protein packed breakfast smoothies.
Goddess Warrior Smoothie
Serves: 1
Prep Time: 1-2 minutes
Cooking Time: 0 minutes
Ingredients:
1-2 scoops of protein powder (approx. 10-30g)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 ½ cup almond milk
1 cup water
2 tsp almond butter
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp freshly ground flax seeds
Touch of raw honey or maple syrup
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender (I LOVE the Vitamix for this) until it becomes a smoothie texture or desired consistency is achieved. Add additional water/almond milk/ice according to how you prefer it.
My personal absolute favourite protein powder = Sunwarrior.
This recipe was contributed by Jacquie Robertson. At The Naked Label we are head-over-heels in love with Jacquie’s passion and inspiration for self-healing! Check out her site by clicking here. She’ll blow you out of the water with her scrumptious recipes and health articles.
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