Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast: the all important breaking of the fast. Whether the iconic bacon & eggs or deciphering the whispers of snap, crackle and pop, starting the day off with food in your belly truly is one of the best things you can do for your body.

Ideally, you want to eat a light meal within an hour of rising to kick start your metabolism for the day. Breakfast should include all three macronutrients: carbs, fat & protein with a focus on the latter of the three.

Breakfast traditionally has a tendency to lean towards carb heavy options: pancakes, toast, cereal… all of which have the potential to be stored as energy to be used at a later date, especially if your morning activities include sitting at at desk. A great way to think about breakfast is to focus on your protein choice. This could be a few ounces of meat, two eggs or a scoop of quality protein powder in a smoothie. Usually carbohydrates will naturally follow your protein, whether in the form of fruit in that smoothie or whole grain toast with eggs.

Fats are important as well, but can be easily incorporated. Frying up shredded zucchini as a bed for a pair of poached eggs requires a bit of fat, a dab of organic butter on your toast is simple to add in or a handful of raw nuts on your way out the door for another quick & easy healthy fat option.

Vegetables are often thought of as not having much of a place at the breakfast table (unless they are in fried potato form) but they can be an easy addition to your morning meal. Here are a few great ways to get some veg into the hardest meal to do so:

*As just mentioned, shredded zucchini can be easily mistaken for hashbrowns. If little ones are weary of all things green, peeling the skin off or mixing half potato & half zucchini is a great camouflage technique.

*At the other end of the spectrum, green smoothies are not so subtle at all. Adding a handful of spinach into a smoothie will turn it bright green and impart the healthfulness of the leafy powerhouse without affecting the taste. Drinking your breakfast via juicing is another fantastic dose of nutrition in the morning.

*For those crunched for time in the mornings, premade muffins can be a lifesaver. These could be Carrot & Zucchini Muffins (without the frosting of course!) or Bacon & Egg Cupcakes with some shredded veggies added in or even some Grain Free High Protein Pancakeswith a side of cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices! Made ahead & thrown in the freezer for consumption when you need them is the name of the game for these options.

*Lastly, breakfast doesn’t have to be “breakfast food”. It could easily be leftovers from last dinner two nights ago. This is of course highly personal, and can take adapting for some folks. Leftover stifry or greek salad could be the start to your morning. Something is better than nothing!