The breakfast club.

Like Shannon, breakfast is a huge part of my daily routine. If I skip breakfast, my entire day is thrown out of sync - I am lethargic, irritable and unmotivated. These feelings are my body expressing its unhappiness with the choice I've made. 

Beginning the day with a nutritionally balanced meal only seems natural. If you think about it, your body has been fasting for around 8+ hours while you sleep. Going for long periods of time without eating has many ill-effects, including slowing your metabolic rate and depravation of glucose to your brain which is a requirement for any normal function. 

You all would have heard the old adage 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day'. While it does sound cliche, there is actually plenty of truth behind this statement. That is, if your intent is to raise your energy level, keep you on track for weight maintenance and curb cravings later in the day.

Energy:
Skipping breakfast leads to less energy later in the day. This not only negatively impacts your productivity and focus levels, but will also leave you feeling less motivated to hit the gym after work or take the stairs versus the elevator. 

Weight Maintenance:
The double headed spear here is not only will you be less inclined to exercise, your metabolism will be missing that morning boost and thus be more reluctant to burn calories. While the logic seems off, skipping a meal will not lead to quick weight loss, it will lead to your body storing any fuel you provide it with as fat rather than processing it as usual.

Cravings:
I always do my grocery shopping when I am well fed. Why? Because when you're hungry, it is hard to distinguish between good and bad food choices.
The same rule applies to breakfast, or a lack there of. Without a nutritious breakfast to fuel your day, that muffin for morning tea is going to seem like a great idea. High fat, high calorie items will not sufficiently subside your hunger, instead send you high on a sugar roller coaster to only come crashing down moments later. When that happens, aren't you going to wish you filled up on a healthy breakfast and avoided those cravings in the first place?

My breakfast of choice at the moment is mixed granola with yoghurt, honey and blueberries. My delicious granola was handmade at the Whole Foods Muesli Bar (more on this later), and is packed full of raw oats, puffed millet, raw almonds, raw hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds. 
I am still on the hunt for the perfect yoghurt, but am currently using Yeo Valley 0% Fat Natural. I squirt a teaspoon of raw honey on top to sweeten. Lastly, I add blueberries, which are a year round breakfast staple for me.

Now kids, eat your breakfast!

Jaimee  x