Start Your Day Off Right!

Erin F., BS Health Science, Corporate Health Unlimited

How many of us know someone that skips breakfast every day? How many of us are secretively those people?! I know, we all may miss a day here and there, but did you know that consuming a healthy breakfast improves overall brain function, productivity AND actually speeds up your metabolism?! It allows your body to burn calories more efficiently throughout the day and therefore allows you to maintain or improve overall weight. When you skip breakfast, your body is tricked into thinking it needs to conserve all the energy it has and leads to your metabolism slowing down, which results in weight gain.

Of course, there is always going to be a day that we press snooze a few too many times or decide to use dry shampoo and skip the makeup on our way out of the door. But, let’s face it…poor planning almost always never ends well. How often do we end up over-indulging on things that we typically wouldn’t have “snacked” on when we skip out on breakfast?

Skipping breakfast can cause us to spend more money on food/beverage during the day. Many times, it slips our mind to grab lunch on our way out, due to the lack of nutrients from our missed breakfast. If you are one of those people who choose to skip out on your first meal of the day, for whatever reason: getting kids ready for school, it’s too hard to come up with an easy/healthy option, or you would rather just get out the door to avoid being late, do me a favor and try this out – just once and see how it works for you…Make a meal ahead of time and have it as a grab and go option. If you prep breakfast the night before and/or have it readily available to grab on the way out the door, it makes consuming a healthy breakfast MUCH easier! See the quick, easy recipes below:

Chia Seed Pudding:

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 4 teaspoons of chia seeds (great source of fiber; 11g per one ounce serving)
• 1 tablespoon of local honey (helps with seasonal allergies)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (assists in decreasing inflammation)
• Stir all ingredients together
• Put in fridge overnight
• Remove in the morning and add fresh fruit of choice… Enjoy!

Muffin Tin Quiche:

• 6 Eggs
• ¼ Cup chopped onion
• ½ Cup diced tomato
• ½ Cup chopped baby spinach
• ½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Whisk eggs together
• Mix in additional ingredients
• Spray muffin pan and pour in equal amounts to all tins
• Bake 20-25 mins
• Cool 2 mins and remove from tin…Grab and go in the morning!