9 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY BREAKFAST

Busy mornings and tight schedules can result in some of us skipping breakfast entirely or opting for something unhealthy instead.

Make the most of your morning meal by following these top nine tips from “Food Matters”!

1. Add A Little Healthy Fat - Healthy fats from whole foods provide essential fatty acids, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Healthy fats also help you to feel satisfied for longer as they’re slow to digest in the body.

2. Eat Enough Protein - You can enjoy a delicious breakfast low in protein, but we bet you’ll be hungry shortly after! Protein is similar to fat as it’s also a slow release energy source making it a powerful appetite suppressant! It also contains essential amino acids for the body to function optimally and repair itself, making it a necessary ingredient in the food you eat, especially post workout!

3. Fill Up On Fiber - A gut health and weight maintenance essential. Having a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet helps your bowels to function properly, feeds your healthy gut bacteria and supports natural detoxification.

4. Choose Good Quality Carbohydrates - Choosing the wrong kinds of carbohydrates can have you feeling flat and hungry in no time! All carbohydrates turn to sugar in the body, but how quickly the sugar is released in the bloodstream depends on what else they’re consumed with! Protein, fats and fiber help to slow down digestion of your overall meal, so having some of each with a source of carbohydrates helps to prevent blood sugar crashes!

5. Aim For Nutrients, Not Calories - The front of food packets love to trick us by promoting how few calories their food contains and that this is a good thing! The problem is that real food ingredients contain calories. They provide us with energy to thrive! When a manufacturer reduces the calories of a food, they alter the mix by removing real, nourishing foods and replacing them with chemicals and artificial ingredients that our bodies don’t recognize and can do us harm. Avoid falling into the trap of eating to fit a daily calorie count and stick to food in its most natural state instead!

6. Avoid Refined Sugars - Most commercial cereals, granola and baked breakfast goods are loaded with added sugars. High fructose corn syrup, glucose, dextrose, cane sugar and beet sugar. The list is endless! Start your day with slow-releasing carbohydrates instead, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Having processed sugars at breakfast can cause you to crave sweet foods for the rest of the day.

7. Get Enough Variety - It’s so easy to get caught up in the same old breakfast routine, but mixing things up not only gives your taste buds a welcome change. Research shows an increase in food variety is actually linked to a longer lifespan!

8. Size Matters - Racing out the door with a piece of fruit is better than nothing, but it’s not enough to provide your body with all the energy it needs. Consuming a healthy breakfast can help control blood sugar levels and assist in weight management, helping to prevent and manage Type 2 Diabetes.

9. Focus On Your Food - Mindfully focusing on the food you eat by sitting and limiting distractions will help you avoid overeating and aid proper digestion. It takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to register if you’ve eaten enough and send that message to your brain. Give your stomach some time and really enjoy your meal!

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