by Carey Peters

Yeah, yeah … we’ve heard it all before. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” Blah, blah, blah.

But, for gosh sakes, why?!

Here are some explanations that will shed light on the mystery of the mandatory morning meal, and some simple tips on how to incorporate it into your day.

Breakfast is literally “breaking the fast” after the last evening’s meal—up to 10 or 12 hours ago. Breakfast has many crucial functions, like keeping blood sugar levels steady and improving energy and concentration levels. That’s all well and good, but who are we kidding? Let’s address what’s really on our minds.

The bottom line is that breakfast helps us lose weight. It stokes our metabolic fire, and when we gas up the tank with a meal in the morning we follow our body’s natural metabolic rhythm. Our body is a seriously smart machine, so when we simply follow its lead and give it support, it will absolutely take us where we want to go. Now, skipping breakfast does NOT support the body’s natural rhythm, resulting in a low metabolic rate, which means you burn fewer calories throughout the day. We don’t want that!

So you’re all excited about providing your body with stellar nutrients in the morning to rev up your metabolism, right? Now how do you do it? For so many people, the pace of modern life means breakfast is just a fleeting thought between messages from your brain, like “Crap! I’m late!” or “Great, an hour commute on the freeway this morning.” This year we are going to change those messages to “I’m so excited to eat breakfast this morning!” and “My, aren’t I a rock star for helping my body to kick metabolic butt!” Here’s how to do it:

1. Make a commitment to breakfast. We’re all so super-busy that we hardly have time to breathe, but, hmmm … I seemed to make time for that “Sex and the City” re-run last night. Make a joyous commitment to improving your health by eating breakfast every day.

2. Choose three breakfast items (or recipes). Pick three breakfasts that include foods that you enjoy and that are simple to make. You can try the recipes and suggestions below, or you can incorporate some of your own. Rotate those three recipes all week.

3. Shop for all necessary ingredients at the beginning of the week. Make a list of ingredients you’ll need for your three easy recipes, and get enough to make two to three breakfasts for each. You’ll never need to stand bewildered in front of your fridge again.

4. Enjoy! Love your morning meal, and love yourself for helping your body be its best!

RECIPES

Banana Energy Sundae

Banana sundaes for breakfast? Well, it might not be exactly what you had in mind, but this power-packed “sundae” comes loaded with nuts and seeds for a filling and very yummy breakfast. This dish is especially tasty with almond milk, as it complements the crunch of the sprinkled cereal quite well. Use your choice of nut butter: peanut, almond, or soy nut butters are great.
Serves 1
• 1 banana
• 1 TB nut butter
• 1 TB toasted sesame seeds
• 1 TB ground flax seeds
• 1 TB chopped toasted pecans
• 1/4 cup of your favorite whole grain, low sugar cereal
• 1 TB vegan carob chips (optional)
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 1 TB dark agave nectar, or to taste (optional)
• soy milk to taste, optional
Ingredient options: Vary milk to suit your preference: cow, soy, almond, etc.
Cut the banana in half lengthwise. Spread nut butter on each banana half and put it back together like a sandwich. Sprinkle the banana with sesame seeds, ground flax, pecans, and cereal. Top with carob chips, blueberries, and amber agave nectar (a natural sweetener, found in the baking section of health food stores). Eat as is or with a splash of your favorite milk.
Note: To toast sesame seeds and pecans, put them in a dry skillet on medium heat for about 5-6 minutes, or until they begin to brown.
Recipe from Wholefoods.com

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

Adding ground flax offers a healthful boost of omega 3s, fiber, and protein. Smoothies are a great dairy-free alternative to a milk shake, satisfying the desire for something sweet, icy cold, and creamy. They are also quick and portable for workday mornings.

Serves 2

• 1 ripe fresh or frozen banana, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• 8 oz plain or vanilla soy, rice, or almond milk (more or less to taste)
• 1 TB finely ground flax seed or 1 TB flax oil

Ingredient options: Add 1 tsp dark agave nectar for a sweeter taste. Add 1-2 TB protein powder for an extra boost. Or, add 1-2 TB of your favorite nut butter.

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and whirl at top speed for approximately one minute or until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy. (When making fruit smoothies, adding ice to the blender is a matter of personal choice. If you are using frozen fruit in place of fresh fruit you may choose to omit the ice.)

This is one of my own recipes—it’s my favorite! I put my smoothies in a tall travel mug and pop a straw in for the road.

Soaked Oats
Serves 1

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (such as blueberries, raisins, cranberries, currants)
• 1/4 cup flax or sunflower seeds
• water

The night before, place all ingredients in a bowl, then fill about 1/2 inch above oats with water. Cover. Place in a cool, dry place overnight. In the morning, warm with a bit of water or eat at room temperature.

Ingredient options: In the morning you can heat up a cup of soy or rice milk to serve with oats and/or cut up fresh fruit to mix in. Also try pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts to add variety.

Note: This is another great portable breakfast.

Recipe from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Carey Peters is a member of the Los Angeles Incubator and a has a health counseling practice, ELEVATE: A Lifestyle Makeover.