The Perfect Breakfast

We live busy lives, especially nowadays. And during the school holidays things do get a tad easier but now, with September on our doorstep, our morning routine will get full again. Either you have breakfast or not we've put together a guide to help you make good food choices early on whatever time your "breakfast" is.

The average morning for many of us...

• 06.30 alarm & snooze
• 06.35 alarm (again)
• 06.45 shower
• 06.56 coffee
• 07.35 out the door
• 07.43 hungry
• 07.50 coffee shop + muffin (i.e. breakfast on the go)
• 08.03 arrive at desk – clutching what we’ve allowed ourselves to call ‘breakfast’

That’s the start of a day for an ever-increasing number of people. And not the best way to start, especially if you want an energy fuelled, nutrient rich diet and day. Having a carb and sugar heavy muffins/pastry/morning bar means that  after the initial high, your blood sugar plummets alongside energy levels and the promise of another energy boost from sugar becomes all too tempting… and the rest of the cycle we all know.

It doesn’t take a great deal of insight to understand how this dreadful pattern has come about because, as ever, one way or another it’s down to ‘Big Food’ running rings around anyone trying to bring common sense or science anywhere near their profits.

But as we know, there are always alternatives if we’re willing to put time and effort into resisting the pressures of rampant consumerism. So, breathe in … hum a few ommms … and think ‘healthy breakfast’.

So just what is the perfect breakfast? Well, for a start it’s got to contain some protein, that essential food group that so many people forget about at breakfast time. Accordingly, marmalade on toast, a bowl of cereal or a sugary muffin simply won’t do the trick, ever … but any combination of eggs on wholegrain toast with a side of mushrooms, tomatoes and steamed spinach (why not?), or natural oats, or nuts and seeds is what you should be aiming at! So much depends on your personal taste and how much time you have, but if you’re going to eat, always eat good food.

3 basic rules for a healthy breakfast

• Arm yourself with some basic knowledge about nutritional benefits, balance and essentials
• Stock up on all the good quality, underlying dry ingredients that allow you to build a really healthy first meal of the day.
• Make sure all the fresh ingredients are seasonal, organic and local where possible.

Here’s our favourite balanced breakfasts: 

• The blended breakfast - We’re a huge fan of blended breakfasts and like to experiment with different types of protein powders, superfoods, nuts, seasonal fruits, greens and nut milks – the result? A thick nutritious shake. Take a look at our blog for our favourites. They’re a great way to compress a lot of nutrients and delivers tasty goodness. What’s more if you’ve added a good protein mix then they really do fill you up and stop your cravings for snacks.
• The bowl breakfast - There’s nothing quite like a bowl of piping hot porridge to start the day and it doesn’t just have to be made with traditional oats – a healthier twist is using quinoa flakes, rye flakes (my favourite) and chia seeds topped with grated pear, berries, honey, cinnamon and chopped nuts.
• The cooked breakfast - Probably more for the weekend – poached eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and steamed chard are a firm favourite OR the classic avocado on buttery sourdough toast with a slow fried eggs (in coconut oil).
• The millennial breakfast - Avocado on toast anyone? with an egg or two. We love sourdough bread, grass fed butter, a smashed avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper and yum!

Whatever you choose, it's your call. And don't worry, you might sometime fall off the breakfast health wagon but remember, you can get back on it... You will feel better for it.

So if you like/need a good breakfast, this is what we recommend - Enjoy!