No Time for Breakfast? Make Time
There are many things you might do first thing in the morning that keep you from having a good breakfast.
Here are just a few:
- hitting the snooze alarm
- making lunches
- going for a run/walk
- not hungry
- rushing
Why Breakfast Is Important
Check out these reasons:
- breakfast starts your metabolic engine, that mechanism that burns energy
- a good breakfast keeps you from eating a muffin on the way to work
- eating meals is the surest way to avoid weight gain and poor nutrition
- if you have kids at home, you’re setting a good example
Ways to Make Breakfast Happen for You
Experiment with food combinations and variety to find what keeps you energized and satisfied through the morning. Protein foods and complex carbohydrate foods both matter, so a breakfast that combines egg with vegetables, or whole grain toast with peanut butter, or whole oats with fruit and walnuts should keep you balanced.
You Need a Strategy
Once you have the food list, you need to get things in place so it’s quick and easy. Cook up a few portions of whole oats in a slow cooker over the weekend. Reheat and add nuts, cinnamon, and fresh fruit. Chop vegetables ahead of time that you might use in an omelet. Make a vegetable and egg frittata that will give you 4 servings. Slice when cool and they will be ready to reheat in the morning. Hard boil eggs and eat at work with a slice of whole grain toast and avocado or nut butter.
Overcome Other Obstacles
Many women say they are not hungry in the morning. If you are one of them, experiment with eating no later than 7 pm in the evening; you should be hungry by the next morning. An added bonus: no night eating is a proven way to manage/lose excess weight
Also, look at some of your morning activities that can be accomplished at night. These might include making lunch, choosing your clothes, or getting up 15 minutes earlier, which is all the time you need to have a good breakfast.
If you need some recipe ideas, head on over to my blog for some ideas.
Peg Doyle, M.Ed., CHHC
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