Yes, the rumour is true: breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  So the question is – are you consistently giving yourself the best start to your day?  The fact of the matter is that nourishing our bodies with nutritious foods is so important for us busy, multi-tasking women. When we fuel the body properly in the morning it sets us up for success for the day – we think more clearly, have the energy to accomplish tasks and we actually burn fat more effectively.

Did you know that eating a healthy breakfast is correlated to boosting metabolic rates? This essentially means that you lose weight by eating.  It’s true!  If you are a chronic breakfast skipper, this is bad news and a perfect reason why you should re-think your decision.  When we skip meals it sends signals to the body that there is a scarcity in our food supply, which results in an increase in storage of fat.  Yikes!  We have our ancestors to thank for this reaction!  Our bodies appropriately store fat as a protective mechanism to survive prolonged famines (similar to ones people experienced before foods were readily available all year long).  So although you may not fear famine yourself, when you are too busy to eat or just skip meals, you end up storing the food you do consume as fat.

Furthermore, from a metabolic standpoint, breakfast should be our largest meal of the day, and in terms of hitting our daily “quotas”, this is when we want to consume the majority of our carbohydrates.  Why?  We need to fuel ourselves for the day and provide ourselves with enough energy to make it through.

Not hungry at breakfast?  Perhaps it’s because you are consuming too many calories at nighttime.  Typically, if you eat in a way that works best with your metabolism (i.e. optimally fuelling your body), dinner should be your lightest meal of the day.  I know this goes against our cultural norm, but this is smart eating.  Yes, dinner is a social event, but that doesn’t have to change.  Simply enjoy your conversation over a wonderful salad with nuts and seeds instead of steak and potatoes.  If you do, I’ve no doubt your dinner talk will turn into raving about your increase in energy… and perhaps how you shed some unwanted pounds!

Benefits of breaky:

• Increased energy
• Those who eat breakfast tend to weigh less than those who skip
• Increased mental clarity and productivity
• Lowered cholesterol
• Increased strength and endurance during physical activity

Here are my two easy and delicious breakfast faves:

Breakfast shake

• 1 scoop of protein powder (whey, soy, rice, pea, hemp)
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 large banana
• 1/2 cup spinach or kale
• 1/2 cup of milk (dairy, soy, rice, almond, coconut) *almond is my personal fave*
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup of juice (organic non-concentrate)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Blend together and enjoy!  I eat this year round, but if you prefer something warm in the winter, then try my oatmeal.

Oatmeal 

• 1/2-1 cup Organic Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup berries
• 1/3 cup nuts & seeds (almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or honey or
• 2-3 medjool dates
• 1 tsp cinnamon

These meals are full of protein, complex carbohydrates, antioxidants and healthy fats.  They contain foods that control blood sugar levels, protect your cardiovascular system and lower cholesterol.  Hopefully I have convinced you to eat your breakfast.

Enjoy your mornings! 🙂

In great health & happiness,

Dr. Michelle

Dr. Michelle Peris is a Naturopathic Doctor whose goal is to inspire health through educating, motivating and empowering people.  She has a family based practice out of a clinic in Oakville, Ontario.

Contact Dr. Michelle today to book your 15 minute complimentary consult.