“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” I’m positive you’ve heard this plenty of times and are pretty freaking sick of hearing it. Sure we’re told that eating breakfast helps us lose weight and motivates us to make healthier choices as we go about our day. But, have you actually ever looked into why breakfast is so special? Personally, I am a HUGE breakfast fan, but I know I've never investigated into its benefits. So I wanted to know, is breakfast all it’s really cracked up to be?
First of all did you know that the most common excuse for skipping breakfast is the desire to lose weight? Well news flash, this won’t help you! Of course the key to losing weight is to intake less calories than you burn. Therefore, people think if they skip breakfast they’ll intake less calories and ultimately lose weight. Here’s the catch: those same people tend to eat more during later meals (lunch/dinner) and snack more throughout the day which actually leads to a larger caloric intake than individuals who simply eat breakfast. Heather Leidy, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri, School of Medicine says that research hasn’t been able to show that eating breakfast leads to weight loss, but it also hasn’t shown that it leads to weight gain. So what do you have to lose? Then again what do you have to benefit…
Well that’s an easy one – ENERGY, HEALTH and HAPPINESS! Everyone knows that food provides us with energy, but I’m not sure the majority of the population realizes just how important it is to acquire this energy in the morning. See, the term “breakfast” originated from the phrase “breaking the fast,” since that’s exactly what we do each night. Because the time between dinner and your morning meal is the longest of the day, breakfast affects the body differently than any other meal. Skipping breakfast can boost hormones such as ghrelin, which can then increase the potential of you over eating during lunch. In turn, your glucose levels go through a series of spikes and dips. If this pattern continues over a period of time, the pancreas is forced to work overtime to produce insulin to compensate for the spikes. According to Eric Rimms ScD., a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, if your pancreas burns out, you will develop diabetes. Glucose plays another important role in that this carbohydrate is indispensable for brain processes. Restoring your glucose levels can increase your happiness by lowering the stress hormone cortisol which actually peaks early in the morning. But of course you don’t have time to make breakfast…
LIES! We all have time to make and eat breakfast. I never quite understand how people say they don’t have time for it when there are so many easy and fast options and I'm not talking about McDonalds. Breakfast can be just about anything from a savory plate of scrambled tofu and veggies to a sweet warm bowl of oatmeal. The best thing about many breakfast dishes is that they can be made ahead of time. For example, pre-pack ingredients for smoothies in Ziploc bags and store them in the freezer to blend in the morning. Another great idea is to put ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not that instant shit) in mason jars add ½ cup nondairy milk or water and let it chill overnight. All you have to do in the morning is heat in the microwave for a min or two and if you dare, you can get creative with add-ins like nuts and fruit. Something genius that I never even thought of is to make waffles or pancakes the night before and pop them in a toaster when you're ready to eat. If you add your sweetener of choice to the batter you can eat them on the go, no syrup needed. PRESTO breakfast complete! So I don’t wanna hear the excuse, “I don’t have time” anymore. Even when I decided to get fancy on the weekdays before work, my breakfast never takes more than 10 min to make.
A couple notes for vegans. You may have come across the statement, “choose a breakfast high in protein.” Don’t let this turn you away from breakfast. You do not and I repeat DO NOT have to add animal products to breakfast in order to have a meal high in protein. Some great substitutions and add-ins are hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, chia seeds, tofu, and tempeh. Instead of scrambled eggs, try scrambled tofu. A delicious recipe can be found here. Swap yogurt for chia seed pudding by letting 2 tablespoons chia seeds soak in ½ cup nondairy milk, coconut milk, or even water. Just add in your desired sweetener and any toppings your heart desires. Breakfast foods are also usually great sources for B vitamins. This is a great time to add B12 vegans! Toss in those mushrooms and nutritional yeast to your tofu scramble or try them in a savory bowl of oatmeal. Speaking of which...
I cannot get enough oatmeal. It's my favorite breakfast dish!. It’s easy to make ahead of time and the combinations are endless. Below is a list of a few of my favorites.
Vegan oatmeal ideas:
Pumpkin
Mint Chocolate Chip
Coconut Mango
Pistachio Pear
Strawberry Coconut
Grilled Portabello Mushroom
Don't be afraid to crazy with toppings! Keep in mind that they're a great way to add different vitamins and nutrients. I've listed a few ideas here to get your creative juices flowing!
Sweet: coconut, cacao nibs, cacao carobs, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, fresh fruit, mint, cocoa, honey, nut butter
Savory: chives, dill, green onions, cilantro, hot sauce, seeds, nuts, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, fennel, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes
References:
Bhargava, Hansa D., M.D. "Is Breakfast Really Your Most Important Meal?" WebMD. WebMD, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Ivy, John L., PhD. "Why Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day | EAS Academy." EAS Academy. EAS Sports Nutrition, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
"Why Eating the Right Breakfast Is So Important - Consumer Reports." Why Eating the Right Breakfast Is So Important - Consumer Reports. Consumerreports, Aug. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.
"Why Is Breakfast Important?" Shake Up Your Wake up. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, n.d. Web.