Front-load your Body with a Healthier Breakfast

Breakfast. Whether it’s your favorite meal of the day or the one you care about the least, breakfast is your chance to front-load your system with the vitamins and nutrients you need to power through the day. Do it wrong, however, and you’ll be a nutritionally compromised zombie – sleepy, hungry, moody and ill-equipped to tackle the day.

And, unfortunately, most people are doing it wrong, filling up on junky, low-fuel, high-sugar breakfasts that give rise to hunger pangs, mood swings and cravings before they even get to the office. Sound familiar? Don’t worry. We’ve put together a list of the most common breakfast mistakes to avoid — plus a bunch of energizing, healthy Please try these breakfast solutions to start your day off right:

WHAT TO AVOID:

Toss Out the Cereal Bowl

Just about every person over the age of 10 knows that Lucky Charms make a lousy breakfast, but what about the healthier-sounding ones like granola, muesli or “All-bran”? Sorry cereal lovers, they’re not much better. Most of these options are packed with sugar and carbs and come up short on protein and healthy fats. The result? Most people wind up feeling hungry soon after eating. Adding insult to injury, most cereals are made from genetically modified crops that have been treated with carcinogenic pesticides and include preservatives like endocrine-disrupting BHT and suspected carcinogen BHA. My advice? Don’t fill your belly with this crap.

Stay Away From the Muffin

If you pit the average homemade muffin against the massive ones on sale at your local breakfast or coffee place, you can’t help but notice the David vs. Goliath disparity. The ingredients are problematic too: sugar, refined flours, trans fats, genetically modified ingredients, pesticides, preservatives, etc., and barely a scrap of anything nutritious. Think of the average store-bought muffin as essentially a giant piece of unfrosted birthday cake — hardly an energizing way to start the day.

Eliminate the Tropicana and Bottled Juices

I’m a big proponent of cleanses and detoxes — done right — but I’m not a big fan of bottled juice cleanses because most provide little (if any) fat, fiber or protein to fill you up. Even the ones that may have valuable nutrients deliver a big dose of sugar, which means blood sugar and insulin spikes. Another cause for concern? Consumers assume their bottled, ‘healthy’ pressed juices contain just one serving, when more often than not, they contain two servings. The upshot? When people drink a full bottle, they’re taking in twice as much sugar — anywhere from 20 to 30 grams..

Pass on the Pancakes and French Toast

You may not want to hear this, but traditional pancakes are, in no uncertain terms, a nutritional nightmare. We’re talking a perfect storm of genetically modified ingredients, sugar, refined carbs, gluten, factory-farmed eggs and milk — all topped with a healthy dose of maple-brown-tinted high-fructose corn syrup. Virtually devoid of protein, fiber or good fats, this nutrition-free carb-bomb is the reason you’re starving, lethargic and cranky an hour or so after eating a stack. Even as a special treat, pancakes are a bad, energy-sapping breakfast idea, so grow up, and let ‘em go.

WHAT TO EMBRACE:

OK, so once you take pancakes, muffins, cereal and juices off the menu, you may be wondering, “What in the world am I going to eat for breakfast?!” Glad you asked because at Be Well, we have tons of ideas on how to build amazing and energizing breakfasts. Here are seven options — a week’s worth of breakfast meals! — to get you started on the better breakfast path:

1) Paleo Egg ‘Muffins’

Make a dozen at a time and freeze for a delicious, portable breakfast any time. Pack two ‘muffins’ in a travel container, add some greens, black beans and sliced avocado in another, and you’re out the door. At the office, warm the muffins in the microwave for 30 seconds and voila, breakfast is served.

2) Luscious Leftovers To-Go

If dinner was great last night, why not enjoy it again in the morning? Toss last night’s roast vegetables into an omelet, poach two organic eggs and serve atop leftover sautéed greens, chop up leftover baked sweet potato and use in a veggie-filled hash — the possibilities are endless! Now that your new and improved breakfast menu doesn’t include sugar and dough, there’s lots more room for tasty, nutritious, real food.

3) Open-Faced, Gluten-Free Power ‘Sandwich’

If it’s just not breakfast without toast, then make this Paleo Bread recipe from www.elanaspantry.com, or try the Life Changing Loaf of Bread by My New Roots. Toast up a slice or two and top with one of these combos (or create your own):

Sweet: nut butter and strawberry slices, plus a sprinkle of chia seeds
Savory: mashed avocado on toast, topped with shredded chicken, salmon or sardines

Enjoy!