Starting your day with the right foods can make or break the stage for the rest of the day. Think about how you feel if you run out the door and skip breakfast or just grab a quick cup of coffee with the extras. You will probably feel the crash by 10:00 a.m. Think ahead before the morning hits and you are rushing to get everyone out the door on time. The benefits of eating breakfast have long been shown to improve your appetite for the entire day, keep blood sugar levels stable, improve your concentration and curb cravings for the rest of the day (Greaves, 2016). So, what should you do before you run out the door again and eat nothing, running on empty?
-Prep your meal the night before.
If you are eating oats in the morning, try making some overnight oats using a mason jar, 1/2 cup of steel cut oats, fresh fruit, and add some plain Greek yogurt (watch the sugar!) for the added protein. Put all ingredients in the jar and refrigerate over night. Enjoy in the morning. You can also hard boil some eggs the day before and have them ready to enjoy the next day.
– Get up earlier
Instead of staying up late to catch another episode on Netflix, go to bed 30 minutes earlier and wake up 30 minutes earlier. You will be amazed at what an extra 30 minutes in the morning will give you. Make some eggs, they take no time to prepare and are full of essential vitamins and amino acids to get you through the morning. Add some veggies, (you can use frozen, pre-cut veggies to save time too).
-Sit down and eat
Take the few extra minutes to sit down and actually eat your meal. You will enjoy the meal and your body will thank you for taking the few extra minutes to digest instead of running out the door. Getting up earlier will give you this freedom.
-Look at your schedule
Take a good look at your schedule in the morning and see what you can eliminate so that breakfast can take a priority spot. When your alarm goes off in the morning, refrain from hitting the snooze button. Get up, get moving, be thankful for another day. Get your family ready for the day and take the time to take care of yourself by eating the right foods to give you the energy for the day ahead.
Greaves, E., & Greaves, E. (2016). Magic breakfast: evaluating school breakfast provision. Http://isrctn.com/. doi:10.1186/isrctn14385822
