“It's going to be easier to make good choices for the rest of the day when you've had an omelette for breakfast than it will be when you've had a glazed donut,” says Suzi Fevens, a CanFitPro certified healthy eating and weight loss specialist based in Waterville, N.S.
For the average person, "breaking your fast" in a nutritious way is important because it's the first time you've eaten since the previous day.
Because it's that first meal, Fevens says, you want to make sure you are providing your body with a nutritious meal to provide good quality energy for hours to come. By having a healthy breakfast, you’re setting yourself up to have a better day.
Ellen Greenan, a registered dietitian with Atlantic Superstore in Summerside and West Royalty, P.E.I., says a nourishing breakfast can help provide your body with the energy it needs to function and thrive throughout the day. Whether you are headed to work, school or a busy day at home, breakfast is going to give you the energy you need to be successful and stay focused.
Individuals who skip breakfast often find their hunger catches up to them later in the day, making it harder to regulate their intake and listen to their fullness cues, she says.
Eating a balanced breakfast also helps regulate our hunger, explains Greenan. A balanced breakfast should include protein, fibre and healthy fat, all of which help keep you full throughout the morning.
The best breakfast is one you enjoy, and ideally one that is balanced as well, says Greenan.
A balanced breakfast includes the following three food groups:
- Protein: Greek yogurt, egg, nuts/seeds, nut butters, cottage cheese etc.
- Whole grain: whole grain toast, English muffins, cereal, oatmeal, waffles/pancakes etc.
- Fruit: banana, orange, berries, apple etc., frozen fruit, dried fruit etc.
Protein, says Fevens, will help fuel your muscles and keep you feeling full longer. Fat makes you feel satisfied and is essential for health, while carbs are what will give you the energy to tackle the day.
But Felicia Newell of FN Health, located in St. John’s, N.L., says it’s important to avoid anything that consists only or mostly of carbs and sugar.
“When we eat something that is only (or mainly) carbs and/or sugar, we digest it very quickly, which not only causes a blood sugar spike and crash (which can cause reduced energy levels and is generally not good for health), but leaves our stomach pretty quickly and causes us to be hungry again more quickly,” explains Newell.
Examples to avoid include pastries and baked goods, granola bars, or having only a bagel or slice of white bread with jam.
“We all fast overnight anyway - skipping breakfast is just extending that fasting window.
You would be surprised at how much your body can rely on energy stores and how much energy you feel even if you choose to skip breakfast."
Most important meal?
There is emerging research debunking the myth that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for adults, says Newell. When examining research that controls for all the variables and looks at cause and effect, the results are mixed.
“Some research actually suggests that skipping breakfast may have benefits for some people,” says Newell.
What matters most is how it makes the person feel and how it affects their behaviours, says Newell. As long as it doesn't cause a person to feel tired and sluggish if they skip it, or cause them to overeat later in the day, then it’s probably fine.
“We all fast overnight anyway - skipping breakfast is just extending that fasting window. You would be surprised at how much your body can rely on energy stores and how much energy you feel even if you choose to skip breakfast,” she says.
Research does indicate, however, that kids and teens may have increased energy and focus when they consume a balanced breakfast in the morning. This is particularly important for active children, she says.
To curb the battle with kids - especially teens - to eat breakfast before school, Newell says to try waking them up earlier.
“My kids used to struggle with eating when they first got up, but then I started waking them up 20 minutes earlier and allowing them to watch TV and 'wake up' a bit first, and now they all eat their breakfast no problem,” she says.
For kids and those who want to start incorporating breakfast but can't stomach eating first thing in the morning, Newell suggests training your body to want breakfast. She suggests starting out by eating something small and easy to tolerate, like a smoothie or yogurt and berries. Eventually, over time, your body will start to be physiologically hungry in the mornings.
Never force youth to eat, though, advises Newell. Gauge how not eating affects them at school by talking to them and their teachers. If they can make it to recess and then have a balanced snack and then a balanced lunch with no issues, it is probably OK. If they or their teachers find that they are sluggish until recess, encourage them to eat something small at first. Look to your child for ideas as to what they might be OK with eating.
“Again, over time, the body usually adapts and starts to feel hunger around that time if it gets used to eating at that time,” says Newell.
Easy breakfast ideas
If you’re in a rush for breakfast, Greenan has a few suggestions for easy meals.
Some easy go-to breakfast meal ideas include an English muffin with peanut butter and banana, oatmeal with pumpkin seeds, chopped apple and cinnamon, whole grain toast with a hard-boiled egg and orange, or cereal with hemp hearts and berries, suggests Greenan.
Fevens also suggests making homemade breakfast bars or muffins, granola, and make-ahead egg cups. And, If you find you aren't really hungry in the mornings, a lighter breakfast with fruit and Greek or SKYR yogurt is easy to put together and gives you a good shot of carbs, protein and fat, she says.
Breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated to be balanced, adds Greenan.
In the end, Newell says breakfast depends upon the person, how much they are used to eating, and how long they expect it will be before they will be eating again.
Steel-Cut Oats
Ellen Greenan, a registered dietician with the Atlantic Superstore, provides a recipe for steel-cut oats from pc.ca – this recipe is rich in fibre and provides a source of protein and healthy fats as well.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) PC®Organics Steel-Cut Oats
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) PC®Organics Black Chia Seed
- 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) PC®Organics Original Unsweetened Fortified Almond Beverage
- 2 tbsp (25 mL) PC®Organics 100% Pure Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) Salt
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) Coarsely chopped PC®Organics Natural Walnuts Halves and Pieces
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) Fresh blueberries
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) Sliced fresh peaches
Instructions:
- Step 1: Place oats and chia in a one-litre mason jar; screw metal lid on and shake to combine.
- Step 2: Bring almond beverage, maple syrup, salt and 1 cup (250 mL) water to a boil in small saucepan; immediately pour over oat mixture. Screw lid on tightly to close. Holding jar in tea towel, shake gently to combine. Let stand on counter 10 minutes, shaking once or twice. Refrigerate for 12 hours. (Make-ahead: store in refrigerator for up to three days.)
- Step 3: Scoop oats into four bowls. Top each with an equal amount of walnuts and fruit.
Source: presidentschoice.ca/recipe/overnight-steelcut-oats-with-chia
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