breakfast – Colette's Food Blog

How important is breakfast? It’s been labeled ‘the most important meal of the day’ and the nutrition author Adelle Davis advised people to “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper“. So why all the hype?

Is breakfast good for you?

There are two schools of thought. Harvard School of Public Health researcher, Rania Mekary PhD. carried out various studies which suggest that, making breakfast part of your healthy lifestyle, is good for you. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in 2013, Mekary reported that there is a link between breakfast eaters and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes as well as other illnesses such as heart disease.

A study carried out in Chinese kindergartens in 2013, concluded that children who ate breakfast every morning had a higher IQ than those who didn’t.

Can breakfast help you lose weight?

Not everyone agrees that breakfast helps you lose weight. Evidence shows, people who do not eat breakfast tend to snack on sugary food mid-morning and eat a bigger lunch. So, if you are skipping breakfast to cut down on calories, you might want to think again.

What can you have for breakfast?

There are a number of options to choose from. I am a firm believer of the good, old porridge bowl, but a couple of weeks ago I came across a recipe for homemade granola which I’d like to share with you.

It’s so easy to make, and it keeps for 5-7 days in an airtight container.

Ingredients – yields 10 helpings

320g rolled oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
60ml grape seed oil
60ml maple syrup
25g of each chopped hazelnuts,
almonds and walnuts
25g chopped dried apricots
50g raisins, sultanas or cranberries
4 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit / gas mark 2)
Toast the nuts and seeds for 3-5 minutes (watch them closely)
In a small bowl, whisk together the grape seed oil and the maple syrup
In a large bowl mix together the oats, cinnamon and ground cloves. Fold the oil and syrup mixture into the oats until they’re well coated
Spread on a large baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning over twice during baking
Allow to cool and add the dried fruits, toasted nuts and seeds
Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

This is my version of the recipe I came across; you can easily tweak the ingredients to your liking. You may use different fruits and nuts, or you may add coconut or chocolate chips. You can also use different spices – ground nutmeg and cinnamon work nicely together.

The original recipe contained salt and twice the free sugars. I went for a healthier version and cut down on both salt and sugar.

Give it a go and leave a comment below. This recipe proved very popular at home. Serve the granola with milk or yogurt for a nutritious breakfast or nibble for an on-the-go snack.

Enjoy!

My thanks go to

Independent.co.uk
WebMD.com

Do you eat breakfast? In the UK, one in five adults miss out on breakfast (not to mention children). Reasons given for skipping breakfast vary from – not enough time; to cut down on calories or I’m not hungry first thing in the morning.

How important is breakfast?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As you sleep your sugar levels start to fall and by the time you wake up they’re pretty low. In order for your body to function properly, you need to fuel up on foods which are low in “free” sugar.

Research shows that breakfast not only gives you the energy you need to start the day, it also

helps you control your weight
improves concentration levels
helps lower cholesterol levels.

What makes a good breakfast?

You can choose from a number of foods to start your day in a healthy way. My all-time favourite is good old porridge; but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Some suggested options are:

ready-made cereals (low in sugar and sodium);
home-made muesli
one slice of wholegrain toast spread with avocado and 20g of crumbled Feta cheese
baked beans on wholegrain toast
one poached egg with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes
plain Greek yogurt served with a few fresh berries
a bowl of fresh fruit salad.

Avoid jams, marmalade, chocolate spreads or butter. An overdose of too much “free” sugar puts your body under stress. When your sugar levels are on a roller-coaster ride, you feel crappy all day. You are also more likely to reach out for the biscuit tin at eleven and eat even more sugary carbohydrates as the day goes on.

If you decide to go for an English breakfast, grill your bacon and sausages; avoid fried food.

Breakfast on the go

Unless you go for the full Monty every day, breakfast shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes. Make the effort, wake up 10 minutes earlier and eat a decent breakfast before you leave the house.

With a little bit of planning, you can prepare some oat breakfasts from the night before.

Here are some ideas I came across

Maple Pecan Overnight Oats – by Pamela

Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bowls by Kath

Mocha Overnight Oats by Davida

These recipes are so quick and easy to make. You can get them ready the night before, or prepare ahead for a few days. If you are running late, grab a jar on your way out and eat it on the hoof [don’t forget your teaspoon :-)].

I hope you like these few ideas I shared with you today. Here are some more overnight oat recipes, brought to you courtesy of Honest Cooking.

If you have any quick breakfast recipes you’d like to share, please drop me a line and I’d be happy to post them on my blog.

Until next time… it’s goodbye.

My thanks go to

WebMD
The British Heart Foundation
Kath Eates Real Food
My Man’s Belly
The Healthy Maven

Tag: breakfast

How to make your own granola