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Stop skipping meals, Australia! Breakfast is widely agreed to be the most important meal the day, kick-starting your metabolism and providing you with the energy to last through to lunch time. Try one of these great on-the-go meal ideas to get into a healthy routine.
Well into January, many of us are kicking our slippers off and lacing up those patent leathers to get back into the rhythm of working.
Breakfast is the perfect kick-start to your work day, especially while your patterns are confused in the first few weeks of work. Unfortunately, 29 per cent of Australians are having to skip breakfast due to work commitments, research by Galaxy reveals.
Why is breakfast so important?
Downing a morning meal has a number of benefits. Regularly eating breakfast can improve your energy levels and metabolism, making sure you can burn your fuel steadily throughout the day, according to Nutrition Australia. Furthermore, it may even help with weight loss, as it reduces the chance of overloading on high-calorie foods later in the day. So how can you make sure you’re breaking your overnight fast every day? Try making the most of your daily commute with these handy on-the-go breakfast ideas.
Smoothies
Smoothies offer a convenient way for you to make strides towards having had your two-and-five-a-day!
Having your first meal of the day already blended up gives your stomach an easier time in the morning, and foregoes any need for cutlery – meaning you don’t have to feel uncomfortable chowing down on the train. You can even pre-measure your smoothie fruits and store them in freezer bags so all you need to do in the morning is throw them in the blender, add some liquid, and hit blend.
There are three important things to keep in mind when designing your ideal smoothie, says Body and Soul Australia. The first is to make sure there’s enough to tide you over to lunchtime. Often vegetable-heavy smoothies lack the calories and protein to get you through the morning. So, remember to include healthy protein such as yoghurt or peanut butter.
On the other hand, don’t overload your smoothie with fructose-rich fruits or you may receive an unhealthy spike to your blood sugar levels.
Protein shakes
For those more time-poor individuals, or anyone trying to trim a bit of excess, a protein shake may be a better option.
Many health food stores and supermarkets will offer meal replacement protein powders which can be shaken with water to provide a healthy breakfast alternative. These shakes are generally portion-controlled and specifically designed to be filling, meaning you won’t have to worry about over-eating or going hungry.
However, it’s important to realise that protein shakes are generally not nutritionally complete, and should never replace all meals of the day, says Healthy Food Guide.
Overnight oats
For something with a little more body to it, you can always fall back on old friend – porridge.
Overnight oats are essentially a form of porridge made by soaking oats overnight. So, this is a breakfast you can easily prepare the night before. Simply measur your desired amount of oats and submerge them in a liquid of your choice. We recommend sprucing your breakfast up a bit by adding chia seeds (great for regularity), yoghurt, milk, and a sweetener such as maple syrup.
From there, you can really go wild and play with flavours like chocolate and peanut butter or tropical fruits.
