What do you perceive to be Breakfast Foods?

Cereals are a modern processed food that can all too easily become the only option that we give ourselves – yet across the globe, people eat a huge variety of different dishes in the morning. By taking inspiration from our own history and combining it with the huge array of food choices that we have nowadays, the world is potentially at our breakfast table.

The problem with processed breakfast cereals and toast is that these are carbohydrate foods which break down quickly into glucose, giving us a quick rise in blood sugar levels and an energy kick which can all too quickly be followed by a slump in energy by mid-morning. This slump can be avoided by choosing wholegrain foods and combining them with plant or animal protein, which keeps us feeling fuller for longer. This is as simple as adding plant protein (nuts & seeds) or basing our breakfast around proteins such as eggs, plain probiotic yoghurt, meat, fish, lentils, beans or peas combined with wholefoods such as fruits and vegetables.  For more information about how to support energy levels throughout the day, see Fuelling Your Energy Levels.

This shift in what you eat for breakfast is particularly useful if you are trying to cut down or avoid wheat & gluten, but sometimes when we exclude something from our diet any benefits that we feel can be as much to do with what we then include. So make those new inclusions count: plenty of fruits & vegetables packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients combined with protein (meat, fish, nuts, seeds, beans, pulses, lentils or dairy products) to give you the balanced approach to eating recommended by Harvard School of Public Health

To see if you feel better when you shift your breakfast choices, you can use the online photographic & reflective food diary Nourish, free for 30 days at Soul Nutrition’s unique interactive website.

For more breakfast inspiration, check out the Soul Nutrition Breakfast Photo Album on Facebook – even if you aren’t a member of Facebook you can click on the photos and see what the text says next to each one. Enjoy!