Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal of The Day?

jo butler

A lot of people think they are saving calories by skipping breakfast. But you should think again. What usually happens is that you end up starving by mid-morning, are unable to think clearly and concentrate and you will more than likely replace those missed calories and more sometime later in the day.

Eating more earlier in the day (within reason of course) usually means eating less later in the day.

I see this time and time again in food journals. The binge more happens more often than not, after skipped morning meals because you simply got hungry due to the lack of calories consumed early in the day.

Having said all that, it’s important not to overeat at breakfast time too and you can do that by eating low energy density foods. This basically means choosing foods that have a high volume/lower calorie ratio. Or, in other words, they are filling but provide less calories than other choices.

This is the basis (along with eating real food) of all the FitterFaster meal plans.

Yep, eat heaps and lose body fat because calories are lower overall. Never be hungry because you are simply eating too much food. The biggest and most common complaint I hear is; “There’s too much food, do I have to eat it all?”

So what does this mean in practical terms? What should I eat for breakfast?

Higher fibre foods are great. Foods with high water content are great. Real foods are fantastic and if you combine all these, you’ll get the ideal breakfast for everyone.

A well balanced meal includes ample protein, low energy carbs (usually in the form of vegetables or fruit) and healthy fats.

One of FitterFaster clients’ favourite recipes is FitterFaster Muesli.

FITTERFASTER MUESLI

100g greek or natural yoghurt

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup almonds/walnuts or 1 tbs of FF Seed Mix

1 serve of quality protein (chocolate and vanilla are awesome)

1 cup berries (fresh or frozen)

Mix everything together, adding the berries last so you don’t squash them.

A fantastic option for breakfast is eggs. You’re probably thinking you don’t have time to prepare eggs, but there are ways around this.

I make a massive quiche on weekends for my kids to have for breakfast a few times during the following week. You may scale this down for your family:

BUTLER BREAKFAST QUICHE

40 free range eggs (we have our own chooks)

3 large carrots grated or diced finely

10-15 mushrooms sliced thinly

half a large bag of spinach roughly chopped

1kg tomatoes diced

bacon (we use anywhere between 500g – 1kg depending on what I have on hand)

2-3 large onions diced

2-3 large capsicum diced

any other veggies I have on hand, all diced

I simply chuck everything in and mix it well. Add salt and pepper and sometimes I also add some spice mix. I have used the Morrocan spice from Masterfoods but other good ones come from the Your Inspiration At Home range that I’ve just started using. Mix it up for variety.

I grease my roasting dish with butter and cook in a 180 degree oven for anywhere from 55-70 mins. As you can imagine, a 40 egg quiche takes some cooking.

I take it out just before the centre sets and let it sit in the dish till cooled. It’s always cooked perfectly without being burnt on the edges this way.

The kids just cut a piece off in the morning and heat in the microwave. They also sometimes have it cold.

My favourite breakfast takes just minutes to cook and I usually do it while I’m making school lunches.

JO’S BREAKY SCRAMBLE

I roughly dice up 1-2 zucchini and chuck it in a warm pan iwth coconut oil. After about 1-2 minutes, I add half a bag of spinach. That cooks for about 30 seconds and then I crack 2 large free range eggs on top. By then the pan is nice and hot, so a couple of quick tosses and a scramble with the spatula and the eggs are done. Its a big green-eggy-scrambly mess that tastes delicious.

Again, I turn off the heat just before the eggs are fully cooked. That way if I need to leave it in the pan because I’m busy (who isn’t in the morning) it won’t overcook.

If I feel like it, I chuck in some herbs or spices, mixing it up each day or having it plain.

You could do this with any veggies and its super fast and very easy.

One last breakfast idea is the PLM. Or Precision Liquid Meal. This is a ‘shake’ made from real food with the addition of protein powder to round it out.

PRECISION LIQUID MEAL

1 serve protein powder

1 cup fruit (banana or berries are my favs)

1 tbls flaxseeds (linseeds) or 1.4 cup almonds/walnuts

Whiz the seeds or nuts till ground well.

Add the fruit and protein along with 150-200ml water. Blend till smooth. A magic bullet, nutri-bullet type machine is best for this. Adjust the water to suit you. Do you prefer to eat with a spoon or drink?

So there you have it. Some easy ideas for the perfect breakfast. And now that you know what to eat in the morning, check out my Ditch The Junk Challenge which starts on January 7th 2019

Registration is open now and closes on 3rd – Full details can be found by clicking the link below