The Most Important Meal of the Day

The first thing that came to mind when I decided to talk about breakfast was Arrested Development where Michael asks George Michael "what do we always say is the most important thing?" and George Michael answers "breakfast". If you haven't seen an episode of Arrested Development then I'm not really sure what you're doing with your life. It's true though, I think we have all heard at some point in our life that breakfast is the most important meal (maybe not thing).

I have always been a breakfast eater. It's my favorite. I would be so cranky if I didn't shove my face with food and coffee in the morning, so if you know me, you should be glad that I take the time to eat it. I never realized that people really don't eat breakfast until I was in school. When we were learning counseling techniques we were taught to ask questions about eating patterns, things like "how many times a week do you eat breakfast?"…. uhhhh what? It was so weird to me that the answer wouldn't be seven times a week. So I would ask friends, and I found that I was the breakfast eating minority. The number one most common excuse? I DON'T HAVE TIME. Well friends, I'm here to tell you 1) yes, you do have time and 2) why you should make the time.

Lets address this issue of time. Okay, so I know that I'm a self employed person with oodles of time on her hands so I decided to survey some friends and see how far fetched the idea of having time for breakfast is. One friend is a nurse who works at the butt crack of dawn. You know what she said? She eats breakfast every single day. Even when she has to be at work at 7am, which includes a not so convenient commute. Another friend I asked is a mom of three kids, all different ages. You know what she said? She also eats breakfast every single day. So here's my thoughts, If someone who gets up at ungodly hour and someone who has three other mouths to feed besides her own can make and eat breakfast every day, why can't the rest of us?! Just a thought.

So, I decided to time myself making breakfast today. I made eggs, which consisted of one whole egg and 1/4 cup of egg whites, goat cheese, toast with earth balance and fruit spread, and of course… coffee. I usually add an avocado… but I need to make a trip to the grocery store (something I loathe and always manage to put off until I have absolutely no food in my house). Here's how long that meal took me:

Yep, that's right. 4 minutes and 35 seconds. That includes making my coffee and bringing everything to the table. If I had cut up an avocado I suppose you could add another 15 seconds or so… but still, a hot breakfast in under five minutes. I think we all have time for that. 

This brings me to my next point. Why is breakfast so important?! Well, for starters… you just went a good 8 hours or so without eating anything. Eating breakfast jump starts your metabolism for the day. You know what that means….. weight loss, or weight management! Say what?! Yep, eating breakfast is one of the easiest things you can do to aid in your battle/journey with your weight. Second of all, did you know eating breakfast affects your brain function? Studies show that kids that eat breakfast result in better academic performance, achievement test scores, and attendance (Rampersaud et al., 2005). So if it does that for kids, I'm pretty sure we can assume that the same benefits apply for us adults. Better performance at work, more focus, better attendance…. all from eating breakfast, I'm thinking I even see a raise in your future. 

So, now you know that you DO have time and why you should be eating breakfast. Lets work out the logistics. Planning is the key. If your mornings are a whirlwind the best thing you can do is plan the night before. Decide what you are going to make and set your alarm 10 minutes earlier than normal. Here are some ideas for quick breakfasts:

Smoothies

Overnight Oats

Fritatas

Homemade Yogurt Parfait

Lets talk about these. Smoothies, overnight oats, and yogurt parfaits are a super easy breakfast you can take to go. For smoothies, measure out your fruit the night before and put it in a baggy… all you have to do is dump that baby with the other ingredients in your blender (see my previous post about smoothies here, for tips and tricks). Overnight oats have become really popular. They are SO easy! If you want to take them to go use a mason jar, just put your oats and milk in and whatever you want to use to flavor them and let them sit in your fridge overnight. In the morning grab them and go. There are tons of recipes online you can search. Yogurt parfaits, another thing you can make the night before in a mason jar. Some greek yogurt, dried fruit, nuts, granola, oats, whatever you want… and you have a yummy, complete breakfast. Fritatas are something you can make while you're getting ready. Wake up start your breakfast, throw it in the oven and finish getting presentable while it cooks. Easy Peasy. 

Of course, there's lots of other things you can make for breakfast, I'm just tossing out some ideas. I like mixing carbs and protein and trying to add something green, hence the avocados with my eggs. If you're vegetarian and don't do eggs, go for a tofu scramble, add some salsa, spices and veggies and you have yourself a tasty meal! Bottom line: eat something. Even if you eat a granola bar and piece of fruit… it's better than nothing. You will be surprised how much better you feel throughout the day. Your energy level will be higher, you'll probably even see some pep in your step. 

I'm going to end this post on a serious note. Please don't be offended by what I'm about to say… if it does make you angry, or you find yourself offended think about WHY you're mad before you start yelling at me. I think mostly what it comes down to is us not making time for ourselves. Being healthy isn't that hard, making breakfast isn't that hard. I think we are just a society of people that are really good at putting ourselves last and making tons of excuses. Being healthy is a choice. It's not always convenient or easy… but it's important. Sometimes we just have to decide to stop making excuses and just do what's best for ourselves. I can't really think of anyone that is really, truly too busy to eat or too busy to take care of themselves. If you think that's you, maaaaaaybe it's time to reprioritize a few things. 

Til next time y'all!

Leslie