Tips for your Clinic / Health Visitors - Healthy Eating, for health proffesionals, health visitors and student health visitors

What's in a Breakfast

I am sure we are all very much aware how important having breakfast is! It is now referred to by many leading intuitionalists, to be the most important meal of the day. Also, isn’t this what we keep telling our clients? We should practice what we preach!
However, breakfast has been one casualty of our speeded-up lifestyle, with nearly one in three adults missing breakfast at home.

It has been said many times, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After a long period without eating while our bodies sleep, blood sugar levels will be low when the sleep is over and we start our days. Skipping breakfast can mean your body will start to crave something sweet (and generally not very healthy!) and you'll end up snacking on unhealthy foods. Start the day with a filling and nutritious meal and you will give your metabolism a kick start. You'll feel full until lunch time with no temptation to snack your way through the morning. Some studies have also shown that eating breakfast (high carbohydrate/low fat) can make you more alert and assertive to face the day.
Don’t forget, you don't have to miss out on your traditional Sunday breakfast. There's nothing wrong with a cooked breakfast as long as it's a "grill up", not a "fry up" Lean bacon is a good source of protein, trim the fat and grill. Eggs contain iron and calcium - to get the benefits poach or boil. Add some low-sugar, low-salt baked beans and a grilled tomato. Accompany with some toasted wholemeal bread and a glass of unsweetened fruit juice.
Here are some fabulous and nutritionally perfect breakfasts to start our busy days and equip us with the energy and stamina that we all need to survive our hectic lives!

Homemade muesli
Serves 1

Use raw ingredients of your choice, preferably organic wholegrain cereals, better still if wheat-free
25g (1oz) of either one or a combination of oats, rice flakes, millet flakes, barley flakes, rye flakes or buckwheat flakes
1 1/2 heaped tablespoons whole or freshly ground seeds (flaxseeds, pumpkin, pine kernels and/or sesame)
1/2 tablespoon whole or crushed fresh nuts (optional) (almonds, brazils, cashews, pecan and/or hazelnut)
a good handful mixed fresh fruit (berries, kiwi, apple, etc.)
Serve with 200ml (7fl oz) semi skimmed cows milk or if you like, oat milk, rice milk, or organic soya milk and a tablespoon of goat's, sheep's or organic live plain yogurt if desired

Breakfast omelettes
Serves 1

Beat together 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons
dairy or non-dairy milk
Heat a small teaspoon of organic olive oil
in a small frying pan and pour in the egg
mixture. Carefully stir the eggs to fold the
mixture
When nearly set, add a filling of tomato,
onion, red pepper or leftover vegetables
from last night's dinner with a sprinkling
of dried herbs

Berry booster
Serves 1
Blend the following:

250g (9oz) pot natural, plain, organic, live yogurt
2 tablespoons mixed berries
1 tablespoon ground mixed seeds/nuts
1 tablespoon flaxseed (linseed) oil

Beans on toast
Serves 1

Tin of low sugar baked beans, heated trough in a small saucepan
Slice of wholemeal, or soya and linseed, or rye or pumpernickel bread, lightly toasted
Place bean on the toasted bread and eat!

Protein kick-start
Serves 1
Blend the following:

150g (51/2oz) frozen mixed berries
(strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberries) or other fruit
of choice
(1/2 banana - only after the first three
months)
150ml (5fl oz) rice, oat or soya milk
or water
150-175ml (5-6fl oz) filtered water
1 heaped tablespoon ground almonds
and seeds (sesame, pumpkin, flaxseeds,
pine kernels)
1 tablespoon flaxseed (linseed) oil

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