It’s 7 a.m and you have to get up. Do you hop out of bed and start the day, or snooze for another hour and sacrifice your breakfast?
Many of us would choose the latter -- in fact one study said more than 50 percent of Australians skipped breakfast, despite knowing breakfast was the most important meal of the day.
What if we said it’s possible to sleep that extra hour while still starting the day the right way?
Nutritionist Jessica Cox from JCN Clinic in Brisbane gave The Huffington Post Australia five ridiculously easy, delicious and healthy breakfasts to give you long-lasting satiety and to reduce sugar cravings.
Better yet, you can make (and eat!) them at work.
“Having a well-balanced meal at the beginning of the day kick starts our metabolism and boosts our energy levels," Cox told HuffPost Australia.
“When we eat the wrong food, or skip breakfast altogether, we feel flat and tired.”
This in turn leads to reaching for sugary snacks to help get us through the morning -- and all through the afternoon.
According to Cox, the key elements that constitute a healthy breakfast were fairly simple.
“Your breakfast should contain a combination of macronutrients -- which includes complex carbohydrates, protein and essential fats at its core. Secondly, aim to add a handful of something fresh like some fruit or some easy salad vegetables.”
INGREDIENTS
- 1 slice of wholegrain toast
- 1/4 avocado
- 2 slices smoked salmon
METHOD
- Toast wholegrain bread of choice and top with avocado and smoked salmon.
- Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 slice of wholegrain toast
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 3-4 sliced strawberries
- 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut
- 3-4 pecan nuts, roughly chopped
METHOD
- Toast wholegrain bread of choice and spread with almond butter.
- Top with strawberries, coconut and pecan nuts.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 cup brown rice flakes or rolled oats
- 1/3 cup almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 heaped tablespoon berries
- 1/4 mango cheek, roughly cubed
- 1/4 pear, cubed
- 2-3 chopped dried figs
- 1 heaped teaspoon pure peanut butter
METHOD
- Before you leave home, place the brown rice flakes/oats, vanilla extract and milk in a jar or tupperware container, and stir until combined.
- Cover for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the rice flakes/oats to soak up all the liquid.
- Top with berries, fresh mango, pear, dried figs and a good dollop of peanut butter.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup rinsed raw buckwheat (soaked overnight and rinsed)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (or other milk of choice)
- chopped mango (or other seasonal fruit)
- 1 tablespoon nut butter of choice
METHOD
- Place rinsed buckwheat with chia seeds and desiccated coconut in a container or sealable jar and mix well.
- Add water, coconut milk and vanilla extract and combine making sure you get all the chia in the corners. Cover with a lid and leave in the fridge for at least half an hour.
- Top with mango (or fruit of choice) and nut butter.
5. Low Sugar Granola with Fruit
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup low-sugar, high-fibre granola (try Carman’s Original Fruit Free Muesli or Food For Health’s Liver Cleansing Muesli)
- 1/2 banana
- Handful of berries
- Milk of choice
METHOD
- Simply place granola in a bowl, and top with fruit and milk of choice.
Each recipe serves 1