Importance of Breakfast

Photo by Milada Vigerova from Pexels

I would often get asked at the market if I thought it really was important to eat breakfast in the morning. My response was it’s not important when you eat your first meal of the day, but it’s very important as to what you eat. It’s called “breakfast” because you are breaking the fast you started the previous day.
 
Eating protein, healthy fat and complex carbs high in fiber make for a perfect breakfast, and when you choose to eat that depends on when you get hungry. For me, it’s usually a couple hours after I get up. But I know people who are ravenous when they wake up while others aren’t hungry till noon.

But whenever you decide to eat your first food of the day it’s important to eat foods that will recharge your body with nutrition and kickstart your metabolism. A lot of people like to start their day with a smoothie/shake, and while it’s not impossible to make a smoothie that’s as nutritious as it needs to be for a breakfast, it can be challenging.
 
For a smoothie to be considered a healthy breakfast it needs to include protein and fat. If you eat dairy, yogurt and kefir are good sources of protein. Otherwise, adding pasteurized eggs or egg whites, either in the shell or liquid form in the cartons, are a good source. While I don’t want to sound like the protein powder police, the majority of them include ingredients that aren’t great for you. The only one I use is egg white protein powder. Gelatin, which is a protein derived from collagen is another good source of protein for a smoothie.
 
When it comes to fat, my favorite one for smoothies is frozen avocado. When Costco stopped selling this, I use to buy a bag of avocados, chop them and freeze on a cookie sheet before transferring to a freezer bag. But then life got busy, so now I like to add unrefined coconut oil.
 
Also key to healthy smoothies is to avoid excessive sugar. It doesn’t matter if the sugar from the fruit you add is natural sugar. Sugar is sugar, and too much will cause sugar cravings and blood sugar swings. Mangoes, bananas and kiwis are just some of the fruits high in sugar. Berries are a much better choice for smoothies.
Whatever you choose to eat for breakfast, it should keep you feeling satisfied until your next meal (at least 4 hours).