For one of my homework assignments in IIN (more details about my enrollment in The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in my bio), I was asked to evaluate what I eat for breakfast and see how my energy is affected. Now, remember, we are all different, so what works for me, may be the exact opposite for you. :) NOTE: I sometimes have other items for breakfast, e.g., an almond milk based smoothie, Kashi cereal with almond milk, or even a bagel with regular cream cheese (rarely), and I definitely go out for breakfast or brunch once or twice a week, but the following are my usual suspects during the "school week."
Option 1: Heart Happy: Oatmeal with 1 T honey, ½ T cinnamon, 1 chopped banana, 1 chopped fresh kiwi (fruit depends on the season)
Option 2: A Twist on the American Breakfast: 2 pieces of sourdough bread filled with an omelet of 3 egg whites and spinach (or 2 fried eggs), ½ avocado
Option 3: Liquid Energy: Green Juice from Organic Avenue (I choose one with at least 10 grams of protein)
Option 5: Silky Smooth: FAGE yogurt (0%), with blueberries, strawberries, 1 T agave nectar, ½ T cinnamon; or Siggi’s Icelandic yogurt (either a fruit variety or plain with agave)
As a personal trainer, I sometimes have back-to-back clients from 6:30am to 1pm. Since each of my sessions is 60 minutes, I usually have about 2 minutes in between sessions to shove a snack down my face and go to the bathroom, not necessarily in that order. I will usually bring a snack of nuts, fruit, Larabar or green juice, but the most important factor for me is getting full enough to last throughout the morning. Another piece to the puzzle is being full, but not sluggish, so I need to choose wisely.
And the winner goes to Options 2 and 3; protein is key for my long mornings. The eggs are great if I have a little extra time to make them, and juice if I’m in a rush—I’m full, yet energized and don’t need to have a snack until about 11am! When my days aren’t as packed, I can have some of the other options, and also indulge in some reading time at one of my favorite places: Snack Taverna. J
I urge you to try your own version of this breakfast experiment, See you YOU feel! And if you want to share your findings with me, I would be interested to hear how it goes.