My personal experience that without breakfast there is no balanced diet or weight loss. When I skip breakfast I am ravenous by 9 am and then, I just eat whatever I can find. Which is usually toast and butter. A lot of toast and butter. This is because my body switches to starving mode, this is like an alarm: "there is lack of food, come on, eat and store as much as you can."So it is better to have something within one hour after waking up.
But how?
Mornings are busy, - very busy for a mum.
Why breakfast is so important?
We all know that breakfast is important, without it it is hard to control our weight. And our mood - I would say. Empty stomach just raises the tension during the morning rush. So I am desperate to eat an energy booster breakfast - for my own sake and for my family's sake too.
This not always went like this. In my twenties I really struggled to keep my weight within a healthy range. I know now that one of the reason why I could not control my weight is not having breakfast. The first time when ate something that was around 10 am. Then usually I just had a cheese scone with coffee. Not an ideal start for the day. Then I caught up with food in the evening. All what I did, encouraged my body to store as much fat as possible.
I remember that I thought back then that
"I am not able to eat in the morning"
It is just not true. We are able to eat in the morning, that is another thing what our body is used to. If we skip breakfast all the time then obviously this is the habit what our brains and digestive systems follows and resist food in early hours if we try to make an exception. As every habit, this is not easy to change, it takes time. But it is worth it - considering that waking up our digestive system gently with high fibre, energy boosting (but not heavy) food can result less bloating, less stomach cramps, regular bowel movements and clearer skin. Not to mention the even energy level.
"But mornings are very busy"
My secret is planning ahead.
I know in advance when I will have no time to sit down to the breakfast table with the kids, so I prepare a quick smoothie the night before and just do a quick whiz in the morning. Or I prepare a nice bowl of overnight oats topped with mango into the fridge and I can just eat it in the morning.
When I have time I usually sit down and have my breakfast with my daughters.
I get up early recently, earlier than anybody else in the family. This gives me time to pull myself together and have something before we actually start our day. But it does not mean that I do not have to plan my breakfasts. Like this:
Writing about breakfast planning I just realized, that I have a "system" in my mind regarding breakfast options:
"I have only 1 minute"- breakfasts:
1 slice of morning loaf with a small pot of natural live yoghurt
(Morning loaf made ahead during the weekend, recipe here.
High fibre home made granola with 150 ml orange juice or milk or almond milk
(Granola made ahead for weeks, recipe here.)
Toasted quinoa granola with with a small pot of natural live yoghurt
(Granola made ahead for 1-2 weeks, recipe here.)
Overnight oats with mango
(Prepared night before)
Energy smoothie
(Basic smoothiology for beginners here.)
"I have 5-10 minutes"- breakfasts:
Porridge
toppings are endless: one of my favourite is mixing 1tsp cocoa powder and 1 grated pear into the porridge, but I love porridge with berries and seeds, with ground almond and prunes, cinnamon and apple pieces, with blueberries and pecan nuts and honey... The list is really endless here - whatever is in season, whatever is in my cupboard.
Whole meal toast with ham and lettuce or spinach
Scrambled eggs with whole meal bread spread with mustard
1 cinnamon bagel with peanut butter and 1 sliced banana
About 100 ml quark with berries or fruit compote and honey
Weetabix with skimmed milk and fruit with flaked or chopped almond
"I have 30 minutes or more" - breakfasts:
These are the lazy weekend breakfast options, when we have time to warm up the grill, sandwich or waffle maker and enjoy a tasty, warm meal in the morning like:
Pancake with quark and berry compote
Cheese on toast with grilled tomatoes
Lean bacon sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce
Omelette with spinach and feta, with whole grain toast
Whole meal toast topped with avocado and poached egg
Smoked salmon with scrambled eggs
Brown bagel with grilled sardines and tomatoes
Waffle with home made jam
No comments:
Post a Comment