Many people ask me what we eat for breakfast – well that’s a loaded question – all sorts of things! But we’ll get to that later. A healthy breakfast is really important in helping you to avoid the mid-morning crash that most people feel after eating an unhealthy breakfast. It’s all about the secret of keeping your blood sugar stable. Here are some tips and ideas of how to have a great breakfast that keeps you feeling fabulous all day.
However, be cautious and bear the following in mind:
- Eat fruit with a low-glycaemic index– As this will help stabilise your blood sugar levels thereby minimising the crash, which can often leave you feeling irritable and hungry. Fruits with a low glycaemic index/sugar content include apple, blueberry, cherry , grapefruit, grape, orange, peach, pear and a plum.
- Minimise your sugar intake – Minimising sugary foods is the best way to avoid the brain fog, mid-morning sugar cravings and subsequent weight gain and inflammation that sugary food brings with it.
- What about that morning cuppa? Habitual intake of 3 to 4 cups of coffee is said to be safe and is associated with the most robust beneficial effects. Brews solely made with chicory will not give you the beneficial properties so rather steer from it. You know what they say, “life begins after coffee”.
- Reduce your intake of refined breads, cereals, breakfast bars and pastries – Eating refined starches is similar to eating sugar, as they are quickly converted to sugar in the body and have the same effect as sugar.
If eating a healthy breakfast – which will give you energy, a clear mind, great mood, prevent both cravings and even hunger for most of the day – is what you’re after, here are some tips:
- Eat healthy fats – Healthy fats are extremely beneficial and nutritious. Think pasture-fed butter, pork lard, duck fat, coconut oil, olive oil and macadamia oil for a start. (Healthy fats won’t make you fat by the way.)
- Treat yourself to some real food in the form of animal protein – such as eggs, chicken livers, fatty fish (salmon, sardines, pilchards, tuna), and steak. Fry lightly in butter or coconut oil, and you will be set up for the day. Don’t be scared of having eggs every single day. Steak and eggs is a great brekkie – with a few sprigs of rocket. Mmmmm….
- Add in some vegetables like rocket, spinach, watercress, a slice or so of aubergine, asparagus, even ½ an avocado – anything you fancy.
- Have a cup of coffee if you wish, but try it black without sugar. Avoid tea directly after breakfast as the tannins will interfere with iron absorption – save that for tea time.
People often ask us what we have for breakfast, so here are OUR favourite healthy breakfasts:
- Avocado with smoked salmon or fresh sautéed salmon.
- Rocket/watercress with scrambled eggs and sometimes a little slice of goat cheese.
- Wilted spinach with scrambled eggs in butter (or our homemade Hollandaise sauce).
- Eggs and bacon, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms – all done in pasture-fed butter.
- Chicken livers sautéed in butter or coconut oil or both, with asparagus and mushrooms.
- Baby mixed grill of a small pasture-fed charcuterie sausage, little piece of steak and an egg with asparagus and a few cherry tomatoes, maybe even fatty bacon and mushrooms. It’s not necessary to overeat by the way, just eat enough for a good brekkie.
The variations are endless, and you need to have what you feel like that day. We need to only eat to hunger, not routine or habit. However, don’t try to avoid food – eat when you are hungry and three good meals a day will give you a wonderful array of nutrients your body needs. Not eating often deprives you of much-needed nutrition, and it’s different for everyone. So just eat when you are hungry.
