Fuel Your Day with Breakfast

What’s the most important meal of the day? Did you say breakfast?

I would content that all meals are important. Much research has been conducted around breakfast. We know breakfast is an important meal.

• Breakfast helps jumpstart our metabolism after fasting all night.
• Kids that eat breakfast do better in school (1).
• Eating meals and snacks throughout the day helps reduce hanger (you know – hunger-induced anger). This is both funny and true. Low-blood sugar, which can result from skipping meals, increases irritability. So friends, hanger is real.

I’ve been a registered dietitian (RD) for almost 10 years.  Many of my clients have several common barriers to eating breakfast. The most common barriers are time and lack of appetite. 

If you are rushed in the morning, consider these time savers:

1) Make breakfast the night before.
- You can have breakfast for dinner and reheat leftovers in the morning.  Try my frittata recipe. It’s great for breakfast, brunch, or breakfast for dinner.

2) Prep for a quick breakfast.

- Make a smoothie pack in the freezer. In the morning, you can blend the smoothie

- Try overnight oats or museli. These breakfast cereals can be mixed with milk, yogurt, or a dairy alternative and can sit in the fridge overnight.  Try adding fruits or nuts to have a balanced breakfast with a variety of foods.

3) Build a balanced meal.

To build a healthy meal, incorporate at least 3 different food groups. Try to include 1 or 2 servings of fruits or vegetables at every meal.

4) Try drinking your breakfast.

If you don’t have a big appetite in the morning and you're pushed for time, try having a small breakfast or drinking your breakfast. Try a smoothie or fruit and yogurt. These are small, quick and easy breakfasts.

What are your thoughts?

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Do you find it easy or difficult to eat breakfast?

I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment below or comment on Instagram or Twitter.

If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy:

 Breakfast Ideas for Every Day

Homemade Granola Recipe

Dutch Baby Recipe

References:

1) Faught et Al. Healthy lifestyle behaviors are positively and independently associated with acadmic achievement: An analysis of self-reported data from a nationally representative sample of Canadian early adolescents. PLoS One: 2017; 12 (7). Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5533436/.

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