The Royal Breakfast

You don't want to skip your morning breakfast..especially if you want to lose weight!
We should all be starting our day with a high energy, well-balanced breakfast - And by high energy I mean filling ourselves up with a mix of carbohydrates and protein first thing in the morning to fulfill our body's initial energy demand. To support weight loss, the heavier and heartier you make your morning meal, the less likely you'll overeat throughout the day and eventually you'll get accustomed to eating smaller portions as the day turns to night. You'll further speed up weight loss if you stick to meals that are rich in protein and complex carbohydrates (like vegetables) throughout the remainder of the day. Protein takes time to digest so you'll feel full for a longer period of time.


Breakfast really is my favourite meal of the day because it's the one meal of the day where I don't worry so much about the number of "calories" I'm taking in. That doesn't mean I eat candy and chocolate bars for breakfast. But I know that a meal high in both carbs and protein will be high in calorie content. So I don't let that notion bother me. I simply feast away!

So, what are some examples of high energy, well-balanced breakfasts? I'll tell you what I eat in the mornings and I'll post some pics. You'll then understand why I truly love my royal breakfast.

My latest craze is the 'torpedo' -
What it is: 1 whole wheat tortilla smothered with almond butter, topped with 1 tbsp of ground flax seed and 1 tsp of oat bran, all wrapped around 1/2-1 sliced banana. I sometimes have this meal with a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (vitamin C) and/or a pot of white tea (high in antioxidants).
The tortillas I use not only taste delicious but are very healthy. They are extremely high in fiber and low in fat. I normally alternate using tortillas with a slice of toasted whole or sprouted grain Stonemill bread.
The torpedo is my favourite meal to eat after a morning workout, especially a morning run. It's high in protein (almond butter) and carbs (banana, wrap/bread) and it's balanced with heart healthy omega 3's (ground flax) and fiber (oat bran; wrap/bread). It's delish and it fills me up!

 

My other regular 'weekday' breakfasts include a yummy mix of high protein, high fiber cereal topped with sliced bananas, berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, dried goji berries), sliced almonds and/or sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp ground flax, 1/4 tsp matcha green tea powder and 1 cup of unsweetened original almond milk. Again this meal is accompanied by either a glass of fresh OJ or a pot of herbal tea.

If the time permits, I blend all of the above cereal ingredients (excluding the cereal) + 1 tbsp of either almond butter or natural peanut butter into a smoothie - and that's what I call my dessert breakfast.

If I'm running out of ingredients I'll sometimes have one slice of toast topped with almond butter and jam and half of a grapefruit. Alternatively, I'll have a handful of almonds and whatever fruit I have in my kitchen. Even if I'm only having fruit, I always make sure to top the fruit with ground flax and oat bran.

On the weekends my latest brunch feast includes free run eggs scrambled with onions, garlic, peppers, chilies and mushrooms alongside tofu (extra-firm) scrambled with the same veggies and spiced with ground cumin, turmeric and low sodium tamari. This is a meal very high in protein. If I only prepare one dish (eggs or tofu) then I'll normally have one slice of toast with my meal. I also sometimes top my eggs off with 1 tsp of nutritional yeast which is high in both protein and B vitamins (namely B12) and is a healthy alternative to cheese with a nutty flavour. I also sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes onto soups and plain popcorn.. yum!