Wanna kick-start your day?

Tell me, how do you start each day? Do you set yourself up for the best possible day filled with energy, vitality and health or are you running out the door with a coffee and a toast?

‘Do I really need breakfast?’ is probably one of the most frequent questions I get asked, hotly followed by ‘What is a good breakfast?’

Let me begin by answering the first question, with personal nutrition advice I have found over the years that you never have an answer for everyone, we are all so unique and have such varied lives that there is no ‘one size fits all’ blanket response. I have one such client that said they thrive in the morning in a fasted state, killing their to-do lists like a productivity genius! If this is you and you have great energy levels, feel fab and sleep well – then don’t change a thing. However, what I will say is that this is not the norm in my experience, the majority of people I have worked with (100s), by simply including a breakfast it has positively impacted their health day and night! (Why night? Well, simply because every good night’s sleep starts the morning before, setting your blood sugars and cycle for the day.)

If it’s so good then, why has breakfast fallen out of our routines? The reasons for missing breakfast, are for most people time related. Mornings are busy enough already, without the extra cost of preparing another meal. I also frequently hear that its just too confusing, with conflicting advice in the media about the dangers of commercial cereals, eggs & even bread – perhaps it seems safer to skip it.

My advice, if you want to kick start your day and set yourself up up to be your BEST, to feel energized, invigorated, manage appetite and maximise our decision making capacity and focus then include a brekkie. This is not a cost to your time it is an investment in your day, your professionalism and ultimately your HEALTH.

So, ‘What is a good breakfast then?’ You want to aim for a breakfast that combines good carbs, protein and fibre and guess what? You will not find this in the cereal aisle in the supermarket, unless its unadulterated porridge oats that is!

Here’s my Top 6 Breakfast suggestions listed in order of time needed to prepare and eat:

1. Fruit & Nuts: The quickest breakfast of all – 1 minute! If you want to start small this could be it. A piece of fruit (banana, pear, apple, cup of berries) and a small handful of nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts). Like I say it’s a start and may lead you on to greater things.
2. Smoothies: Ready in 5 mins. It’s important here to not stuff your smoothies solely with fruits, it is basically a balanced meal blended. Try adding Greek yoghurt, oats, chia seeds, a tbsp. of nut butter (the single ingredient kind), alongside a few veggies (a sneaky way to get them in and they blend in much better than you think) try cucumber, lettuce, celery or carrots. For ease frozen fruits and vegetables work too and use water, milk or coconut water as your liquid, fruit juice is too sugary!
3. Rye/Sourdough toast with smashed avocado: Ready in 5- 10 mins. My favourite combo is a squeeze of lemon, chopped parsley, salt and pepper a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of chilli flakes – YUM. The possibilities are endless with this – if you don’t believe me just type in ‘avo toast’ into any social media platform and check out the reams of beautiful versions of this simple meal.
4. Porridge oats: Ready in 10 mins. Add milk/water, chopped nuts, a spoonful of chia seeds and a handful of berries or chopped apple for an extra nutritional punch. Ideally you wouldn’t add any extra sugar to this as the oats and berries/apple have sweetness – but if you want more cinnamon is always a good nutrient powerhouse to sprinkle over the top and if you still need something else just a tsp of good quality honey or maple syrup.
5. OR for an even quicker exit in the morning make it the night before! Cue the fashionable: Overnight Oats (code for = cold porridge, it doesn’t really have the same ring to it!). ­Add in the goodies as described above without the heating up required, the oats just soak up the milk overnight like a mini-miracle. This is another social media star, check #overnightoats
6. Eggs. Ready in 5 – 15 mins dependent on the style. I love scrambled eggs with a little butter and sprinkle of chilli and black pepper, but then again I also love eggs poached, boiled or served as an omelette too. Add in a few veggies to provide even more nourishment mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes make a great team and a slice or two of proper bread (check out my article: Bread is not the bad guy). You could also use tinned or frozen veggies too, so no excuses to not have them or add them in.

There you have it, ranging from 1 to 15 minutes there really is no excuse to skip it! Be prepared, stock up and enjoy your well-deserved, energising, healthful breakfast and set your day up for success!

Any comments or feedback – get in touch.