“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a rich man and dinner like a pauper”
It’s been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day,
and it is true that fuelling up with real nourishment in the morning can give us hours of good energy and focus. Whether we break our fast soon after rising, or postpone breakfast for intermittent fasting purposes, your first meal should be full of protein, good fats and fibre.
In contrast, a high carb/high sugar breakfast will give you a sugar rush to get you out the door in the morning, followed by a sugar crash shortly after! Children will crash at school, and adults at work: not the best plan for a stable and productive day!
Let’s let go of the idea that breakfast has to be a different food than any other meal: who decreed that muffins, donuts, sugary cereals or pancakes are meant to be breakfast foods?
Breakfast literally means break the fast - and you can do that with any food. In other cultures, all sorts of different foods are eaten for breakfast:
Costa Rica: rice, beans, avocado, red pepper and onions served with egg and corn tortillas
Scandinavia:100% rye bread topped with smoked fish and hard boiled eggs
Greece: scrambled eggs with tomato and feta, olives, cucumber and yogurt
India: rice, lentils, vegetable sambar and chutney
Israel: boiled egg, hummus, tomato, cucumber and pepper or Shakshouka (see recipe in ebook for our version)
Japan: rice, miso soup, soybeans, seaweed and pickled vegetables with fish or egg
China: rice or noodles, chicken, pork or tofu and vegetables
UK: Kedgeree, a spicy smoked fish and rice dish, originating in India
Time to prepare breakfast is often the limiting factor, so here are some good breakfast foods that are fast: overnight oats, nut and seed granola, hummus, raw or cooked veggies from the night before, avocado toast with a hard-boiled egg, cold meats, rice and dahl, smoked fish, and low sugar baked beans on rye toast.
We often enjoy last night’s roasted veggies scrambled with eggs, overnight oat or quinoa porridge cooked in the slow cooker, or even a bowl of lentil soup with a scoop of leftover rice for breakfast. And remember, oatmeal doesn’t have to be sweet: you can add nuts, seeds, avocados, tomatoes, spinach, a dollop of pesto, even spices, for a savoury breakfast.
The main point is to get a good amount of protein, fat and fibre in this first meal, to set you up for a clear head, a positive mood, and stable energy all day. Many people find a high protein breakfast actually promotes a better night’s sleep!
NUT AND SEED GRANOLA
Dry ingredients:
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1⁄4 cup oat flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
3⁄4 cup raw cashews
3⁄4 cup raw pecans
3⁄4 cup raw walnuts
1⁄2 cup pumpkin seeds
1⁄2 cup sliced almonds
1⁄2 cup hemp hearts 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Wet ingredients:
1⁄3 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
1⁄4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Melt coconut oil with honey or maple syrup and vanilla. Pour it over the mixture until well coated.
Spread the granola on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring every fifteen minutes. Let cool and store in a large sealed jar. Makes 15 servings and lasts for several weeks.