Start Your Day Off Right

                                                                            

     

We are starting the day and 2015 off to a great start with, you guessed it, a nutritious breakfast.

Until 10 years ago, I did not eat breakfast on a regular basis. I drank coffee for breakfast and didn't eat until lunch. Most days I ate twice a day. I exercised regularly, and as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor I was moving all day. Oh, did I mention 2 kids, 3 dogs, 2 horses, a cat, etc. I moved. But I started to notice FLAB!!!!! I decided my nutrition was to blame. I couldn't get away with not feeding the engine. One of the changes I made was eating breakfast and its been part of every morning since.

Here are some of  my excuses!

No. 1: I've never been a breakfast eater and I'm just not hungry in the morning.
                  My response: I don't like to be accused of being set in my ways, how about you?
No. 2: I don't have time.
                   My response: We are the masters of time management and multi-tasking are we not?
No. 3: I'm dieting so I eat only once a day.
                   My response: So you want your metabolism to slooooowwwww down? 
And finally,
     (Ladies, this one is used almost exclusively by middle aged women!)
No. 4: I know how to eat and I know my body.
                   My response: Why don't we like what we see in the mirror and where did that flab come                                         from?

Everybody has heard it a million times: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We've told our kids that for years but few of us actually follow what we preach. Start off easy. Doesn't have to be a huge meal. Your body won't like that. Small portions work just fine. Try to include protein and fruit or vegetable and a whole grain. Limit juices!! (I'll get into the grain controversy and why you need to limit fruit juice in a later post.) Foods for breakfast do not have to be those traditionally thought of as breakfast food. Be creative.

I won't get into the science but just a few pluses that a good breakfast will give you include more energy throughout your day, jump-starting your metabolism, less overeating and binge eating later in the day, and making that weight loss resolution easier to meet. For those of you who are peri- or post-menopausal, eating at regular intervals,which includes breakfast, will make the difference between being successful at weight management and being totally frustrated with whatever system you're using.
What's not to like?

For those of you willing to start off the new year with a healthy new habit, I'm sharing one of the easiest and one of my family's favorite quick picks for breakfast, individual baked egg souffles.
Simply scramble eggs and add ingredients that you have on hand and bake it in a muffin pan. Its easy to meet individual tastes, dress it up for company brunch or make it a fun way for kids to make their own breakfast.( Just be sure to have a way to identify them later!) The full recipe for Individual Egg Souffles is on my recipe page.

New Year, New Nutrition, New You!!!!

Special thanks to my friend Melissa who turned my on to this great dish and to my daughter, Jess who acts as photographer and  blogging coach. Check her out at www.blessherheartyall.com