Balanced Breakfast to Start the Day

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

and…

3 deliciously satisfying breakfasts to start your morning off right

My 11 year old son came home from school recently and asked me if I know the old adage about eating throughout the day.  I was so happy to hear that they spent time to address about proper nutrition in school (but that is for another blog).  “Our health teacher told us we should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” he said.  This is a sensible theory, and difficult to argue against.  When you ingest more calories earlier in the day, you are more likely to use them.  Eating a large meal later in the evening, close to bedtime can disrupt digestion and quality of sleep.  In fact, one simple strategy to lose weight, is to finish eating for the day before 7pm.

Yet, our individual routines can make it challenging to adhere to such a rule , and as with nutrition in general, what suits one person may not work for another.  I tend to eat a light snack in the morning, preferring fruit and herbal tea (when I will be exercising early), then a slice of dense oatmeal bread after (view the recipe).  I know many others who start their day with a more substantial meal; eggs, toast, fruit.  There is no one way to go here, although skipping breakfast altogether generally leads to overeating later in the day, and doesn’t work well for anyone.  Even if you are adamantly opposed to eating breakfast; on the grounds that you are just not hungry in the morning, try to have something small within a couple of hours of waking.  Start with hydration.  Try a little fruit or a protein shake, and a couple of glasses of purified water or tea.

How to make a balanced breakfast:

Include a mix of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Carbs are the body’s preferred source of energy.  Fat and protein will provide essential nutrients, and make the energy last.

Deconstructed fruit and yogurt parfait

Any combination of colorful fruits (ie. berries, oranges, kiwi, mango, chopped apple with the skin etc.) Add a couple of tablespoons of whole or low-fat greek yogurt.  Since fruit is high in natural sugar, plain – not flavored – yogurt is the best choice. Forget the beautiful parfait layers, and mix the ingredients in a bowl.

The year of the Egg

2 Fried or poached eggs over wilted spinach, sliced tomato, and shaved Parmigiano cheese.  For a more satisfying and divinely delicious meal, serve atop of a slice of dense multigrain avocado toast!  This is also one of my favorite lunches and quick dinners, when topped with a generous handful of lemon drenched arugula leaves.

Strawberries and almond butter tartine

Toasted German or scandinavian bread (pumpernickel is my favorite), topped with 1-2 tablespoons of almond butter, and a generous layer of sliced strawberries.  This is just as good with raspberries or blueberries, and it makes a beautiful presentation