Recipes of the Month: August – Breakfast

What’s for Breakfast?

This month, instead of a dinner, I thought I’d provide three of my family’s favorite breakfasts:

⦁ Protein, Greens, and Fruit: so many possible variations
⦁ Teff Porridge – delicious and a nice alternative to oatmeal.
⦁ Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast

I prefer some version of the protein, greens, and fruit breakfast most mornings but enjoy the hot teff cereal on a chilly morning and the salmon avocado toast as a quick breakfast.
Click HERE to view the recipes online and/or click HERE for a pdf download of the recipes.
For more information about Teff and a couple other delicious recipes, click here for this handout from Oregon State University.

What the Science Says about Breakfast

While many adults and children regularly skip breakfast, many consider it to be the most important meal of the day. Breakfast means “to break the fast.” A nutritious breakfast provides the body with fuel and important nutrients to start the day.

Large observational studies (cannot prove cause and effect) suggest that eating breakfast regularly is associated with a greater intake of important micronutrients including B vitamins, calcium, iron, and vitamins C and D (from fortified breakfast products) and a decreased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, Metabolic Syndrome, obesity, and stroke. Furthermore, some studies concluded that eating breakfast improves satiety (so you eat less during the day), reduces food cravings, improves cognitive function, and academic performance.

When it comes to children, breakfast provides many benefits, including:
⦁ healthier body weight
⦁ better memory, attention, & test scores
⦁ better overall nutrition & health
⦁ better gastrointestinal function.

Circadian rhythm, our body’s natural 24-hour clock, dictates processes in the body including our sleep-wake cycle, glucose homeostasis (blood sugar), cardiovascular function (blood pressure, heart rate), body temperature regulation, hormones, and more. Skipping breakfast can disrupt this rhythm causing dysbiosis in the body as well as sleep disruptions which leads to its own set of symptoms and problems.

Tips for a Healthy Start to your Day

Prep the night before: hard boil eggs, cut up fruit, make overnight oats or chia pudding, have a low-sugar whole grain granola available with yogurt, set up a blender and set out dry goods needed to make a smoothie.
⦁ Prepare for busy weekdays on the weekend: cook up sausage or make your own sausage patties, buy pre washed greens, wash/cut up vegetables and fruits, etc.
⦁ Think outside of the box: eat or use dinner leftovers, make a toasted nut butter and jam sandwich, heat up leftover rice with milk of choice, cinnamon, and whisk in an egg to make it creamy and pudding like then top with a little pure maple syrup or some sliced banana, pita bread or wrap with egg salad.

Get creative. Break away from the typical high sugar cereals, pastries, etc. and see how good you will feel eating a nutrient-dense breakfast.