My mornings usually go as follows…
- Wake up and do stretches
- Depending on morning, exercise
- Shower/Get Ready
- Drink my 16 oz of water or more
- Make my lunch
- Make my coffee
- Make/Grab breakfast
- Run out the door!
Are your mornings about the same? Easy breakfasts or simple breakfasts you can easily prepare for the week are essential. If I don’t prepare my breakfast I’ll usually grab something that is not nutritious and will not help my goals OR it will be a small piece of fruit and I’ll be hungry by 10:00 am.
Why Breakfast Is Important
There are a lot of people who will talk about when to eat breakfast, but I know many people are not hungry right when they wake up. Sometimes I’m hungry and will eat at 7:00 am, sometimes I won’t eat breakfast until 10:00 am. Other times it’s closer to lunch time depending on the day. The important thing is what is going to be the first thing you give your digestive system after it hasn’t had anything for 8+ hours.
During the night your digestive system rests and because of this your blood sugar falls. When you wake up, everything else is waking up as well. Drinking water as the first thing on your stomach is so important! Check out my post about it here. After that I usually suggest things that are easily digestible and will not be a huge hit to your blood sugar levels. Things with some sugar/carbohydrates and fiber are a good choice to have with breakfast like fruit and/or yogurt. Sugar/carbohydrates without fiber or protein like juice or pastries can make you crash mid-morning. Make sure what you have is easy for your system to digest, good for the digestive system, and will help get your blood sugar back to normal levels.
This is the start of the rest of your day. It can determine how the rest of your day will go. Will you crash later? Will you be tired? Will you feel sick to your stomach? Will you be able to go to the bathroom later in the day? All of that can depend on what you have for your first meal.
Why Should Breakfast Be Easy?
Simple will mean we will most likely do it. If it’s not convenient, there is less of a chance we’ll keep with it. Since breakfast is important to the rest of your day you want to make sure it’s:
- Easy to prepare
- Easy to grab and go
- Be balanced and easy to digest
Simple Breakfast Ideas
Actual recipes for some of these will be coming! But here are some basic ideas and some to mix up your breakfast if you are looking for something fresh.
- Yogurt Parfait:
- 1 cup yogurt, fresh fruit, nuts, granola, etc.
- Protein Shake/Smoothie:
- If you are having a protein shake in the morning, I’d suggest making sure you blend it with a serving of fruit or spinach for fiber and simple easily digestible carbs for your blood sugar.
- Mason Jar Oatmeal:
- I’m not a huge fan of overnight oats personally, but what I do is prepare my own dry oatmeal pack in a mason jar. Make it for the week and you’ll have grab and go oatmeal!
- 1/2 cup oats, dried fruit, nuts, sweetener if needed, spices like cinnamon
- You can also add 1/2 cup protein powder
- When you are ready add hot water to the jar, seal/cover it for 5 minutes and eat!
- Muffin Quiches
- Easy way to eat eggs on the go! (Plant-based version coming!)
- 4-6 servings: Preheat over to 350 degrees F. 6 eggs, small amount of onion diced, 1/2 tomatoes diced, 1/2 cup spinach chopped, small amount of cheese if desired, salt & pepper if desired, 2 tbsp milk or milk alternative to make them fluffier. Whisk together. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on size of muffin tin. Store in fridge until ready to grab and go!
Like I said, more information and recipes will be coming, but this can give you some ideas for some easy, simple things to prep and grab and go for breakfasts that are healthy, balanced, and easy to digest.
A Different Beet Nutrition 