My most favourite meal of the day – BREAKFAST! The first thing out of bed. The fun part: it can include anything, be it fresh orange juice, hot waffles, drooly pancakes with maple syrup, a bowl of cereal with fresh milk, oats garnished with pretty dry fruit, tasty French toast, a warm croissant, crispy bacon, PopTarts, fruits, berries, a slice of perfectly toasted bread, eggs in any form and not forgetting freshly brewed coffee. It sets the mood good for a day.

People often skip breakfast in a rush to reach in time, to spend some more time in bed, because they are too tired to bother, they don’t feel hungry, they are bored of the same breakfast every day, or some other excuse, but it’s wrong. It is called the “most important meal of the day” for a reason. Research links eating breakfast to good health. It helps you kick start your metabolism as it is the first meal after you wake up thereby also helping you to burn calories throughout the day. It provides you with the fuel required to get you going through the day and avoids you to binge eat as it controls your appetite.

Science has proved that a good breakfast is directly proportional to a better memory. This ‘first meal’ also lowers bad cholesterol levels in our body and prevents a number of other diseases such as diabetes, obesity, etc. A US study that analyzed the health data of 50,000 people over seven years, concluded that those who made breakfast the largest meal of the day had a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who ate a large lunch or dinner.

Moreover, it breaks the overnight fasting cycle by replenishing the body with glucose. A healthy breakfast also contains all nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein and fibre which are very important for our body.

Running late? Don’t worry, we’ll help:

• Prepare a week’s breakfast over the weekend or the night before such as overnight oats, fruit jars or healthy muffins. A pre-prepared breakfast saves you ample of time in the morning and can be picked up on the way to your destination.

• Try setting your alarm 10-15 minutes prior to your usual time so that you don’t skip breakfast.
  

• Figure out what you want to eat for breakfast the night before and set out dry ingredients or pans and bowls you would require so that you save time in the morning.
  

• Stock your cupboard with go-to breakfast foods like protein bars, low sugar cereals, smoothies, etc.
  

• Keep some breakfast foods in your car or workplace or handbag.

According to nutritionists, one should eat breakfast within two hours of waking and it should be in the range of 25-35% of your guideline daily allowance, also known as GDA.

A few quick breakfast ideas:

Ø Avocado toast with eggs

Top a slice of brown or multigrain bread with smashed avocado and a sunny-side-up/fried/baked egg or two sprinkled with some salt and pepper for taste.

Ø Pancakes

It can be finished with a handful of berries, chopped bananas, spread of peanut butter or chocolate spread or the old maple syrup.

Ø The fruit toast

My personal favourite, it’s super easy to make. Add your favourite nut butter with some chopped bananas on a toast with a garnish of chia seeds.

Ø Fruit bowl

The quickest to make. Precut fruits to make it even quicker, mix seasonal fruits together. The fun part- you can just add anything you like. I like to add some quinoa, honey and lemon too. Delicious!

Ø Scrambled Mess

Break a few eggs in a pan coated with a spray of oil. Add in your favourite veggies to add some colour like onions, chillies and bell peppers. I like to flavour it with some rosemary, thyme and basil leaves. You can also stick to the simpler version by just adding salt and pepper.

Ø The overnight overload

Take a jar and mix oats, chia seeds, berries of your choice, a dash of vanilla, almond or coconut milk and maple syrup. Refrigerate overnight. You can have it cold or warm it in the microwave for a minute. Add a banana and top it with some dry fruits.

Ø Classic Quinoa

Cook Quinoa with any kind of milk. Add sugar, cinnamon and cardamom for taste. This dish is high in protein.

Ø Peanut butter oat cookies

I like to add some semi-sweet chocolate chips for taste.

Ø Banana Zucchini muffins

I like to substitute all-purpose flour with wheat and butter with coconut oil to make it healthier.

Ø Warm waffles

Top it with a spoon of chocolate, peanut butter jelly, simply butter or fruits and maple syrup.

Ø Simply Smoothies

You can never go wrong with them; they are highly fulfilling and filled with proteins.

• Banana Dates Smoothie
  

• Strawberry Mango Smoothie
  

• Blueberry Yoghurt Smoothie
  

• Strawberry Spinach Smoothie
  

• Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothie
  

• Watermelon Mint Smoothie
  

• Pumpkin Carrot Smoothie
  

• Orange Smoothie
  

• Raspberry Peach Chia seeds Smoothie
  

• Beetroot Apple Smoothie
  

• Banana Honey Oatmeal Smoothie

You can make endless more combinations, it just gets healthier. Blend away: )

Happy breakfasts!