Eating breakfast every morning has tonnes of health and well-being benefits. Breakfast really is your fuel and energy for the day. You wouldn't try run a car with no petrol or diesel, so don't try start your body off with no food either. Not only does it give you fuel, eating the correct kind of breakfast is a source of so many vital nutrients that your body needs to function correctly.
Studies show that people who eat breakfast regularly, have a smaller waistline compared to those who don't. The reasons being, that if your body isn't fueled correctly early in the morning, you are more likely to snack on unhealthy things throughout the day to get the much-needed energy. These snacks are often high in sugar, or salt, and low in nutritional value.
Lots have studies have shown the link between eating breakfasts and brain function. I know myself, the rare (very rare!!) morning that I skip breakfast, I am like a headless chicken!!! Your brain needs the fuel every bit as much as your body does.
Now, enough scientific mumbo jumbo!! You want to know what to eat, and how to do it.
What should I have?
There are so many breakfast options - cereal, cooked breakfasts, oats, fruit, smoothies, cereal bars, etc. You need to find what works for you! Personally, I love a cooked breakfast (when time allows!) or oats. I would be steering clear of most cereals, cereal bars, etc as they can have loads of little hidden sugars and nasty additives in them.
Cooked breakfast
So, a cooked breakfast - the old traditional fry! Not any more!! There are so many ways of cooking a breakfast that do not include frying everything in half a stick of butter!!!! I always try and include a carbohydrate, a protein and a fat for breakfast time. So, usually, I go for healthier options - a poached/scrambled/boiled egg, some lean bacon (with the fat removed, or bacon medallions), some cherry tomatoes and an avocado. I sometimes would have a slim seedy bagel on the side too! Other people could add other things here, like mushrooms, baked beans, etc. Whatever works for you is good :)
Oats
Then my next favourite is oats. Good old-fashioned porridge! My Granny still has a bowl of porridge every morning - mind you, she has it with two spoonfuls of sugar and nothing else!! So maybe not the greatest example!! I love oats, so simple and easy to make, and can be so flavoursome! I make mine with the Kavanagh's Jumbo Oats tub (from Aldi) The tub is so handy and has a cute scoop with it. I make mine with milk, just regular cows milk! Then, I add a sprinkle of Chia seeds, some mixed linseed, a few chopped nuts (almonds or hazelnuts usually) and pop it into the microwave for about three minutes. I then top it with some yogurt, either natural or vanilla flavour (Glenisk do a fabulous Protein yogurt, which I sometimes use!!) and then some fresh fruit - such as strawberries, raspberries, nectarines, peaches, whatever is in season! So simple and easy, oats are my go-to breakfast every morning in school.
What cereal should I eat??
Personally, I love nothing more than a bowl of CocoPops or Golden Nuggets! Who doesn't??! But realistically, they cannot be good for anybody! The added sugars and salts and other things in there are just astounding!!!I hate the fact that they are marketed at children - encouraging them to eat sugar and chocolate for breakfast and calling it 'healthy' is not only irresponsible, it is unethical. So I'll just leave this here!
So, I hope this gives you some food for thought. As somebody who didn't eat a breakfast the whole way through secondary school and most of college, I can promise you that once you start your day the right way, you'll never look back! The idea of not eating in the morning scares me, because breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day!
If you'd like any more information or would like to ask a question, please do! I'll only be too happy to answer for you :)