Skipping breakfast is one of the worst ways you can start your day, but is loading up on a bowl of frosted, cocoa, puffy treats any better? One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to focus on healthy foods for the “most important meal of the day” to get the nutrition your body needs for that initial burst of energy.
The first step is to look at your own breakfast. It’s unreasonable to assume that someone who typically only has coffee each morning is going to dive into a 3-course meal. But everyone can make some changes to their breakfast routine to make it better.
The following tips will help you get started in the right direction.
1. Create a Routine and Love It
No matter what you’re going to have for breakfast, make it a special part of your day that you look forward to. That means no gulping down coffee as you race out the door and stop shoving a donut in your mouth at work because you’re famished.
This might mean getting up a little earlier. Stop complaining and give it a try. You’ll get used to the new hours, and you’ll find that sitting down for 20 minutes and enjoying a meal and the morning news or a quick read of a novel or a crossword puzzle will become a habit you don’t want to quit.
2. Take Your Supplements
Even the healthiest breakfast can be healthier with the right supplements. No matter what nutrients you’re trying to add to your regimen, breakfast is the perfect time to take them.
We suggest trying a delicious smoothie with an added scoop of our popular Beyond GreensTM. As mentioned in Forbes, Beyond GreensTM is a powerful superfood blend designed to give you a boost of protein that supports hair, skin, nail, and joint health. More importantly, the combination of echinacea, Rhodiola, milk thistle, probiotics, and four varieties of powerful mushrooms can help support a boost of energy and a healthy immune system to prepare you for the seasons ahead.
Add fresh fruit to your smoothie, and you’ve got a breakfast that you will love and that will love you back.
3. Go Local and Go Fresh
Speaking of the season’s highlights, use local and fresh ingredients to inspire your meals. For example, a handful of fresh blueberries from the local farmer’s market can brighten up so many breakfast options with a pop of flavor and healthy antioxidants.
Just let your imagination run wild. There are so many different blueberry recipes to choose from. You could have blueberry muffins, blueberry blintzes, blueberries on your cereal, blueberry pancakes, blueberry buckle, blueberry smoothie (with collagen peptides of course), and overnight blueberry oats. And that’s just blueberries!
4. Plan Ahead
Breakfast comes around pretty quickly, especially if you’re a slow riser. The best way to be ready is to prepare for it ahead of time.
Sometimes that means whipping up a container of overnight oats or baking a frittata that you can warm up the next morning. Other days it just means getting to the grocery store and stocking up on cereal and milk.
Whatever you need to pre-plan your breakfast, do it. Make that extra effort to treat your body right in the morning because you’ll be glad you did.
As a little extra tip break out your slow cooker and try a slow cooker breakfast casserole. Almost as if by magic, these little nuggets of nutrition cook during the eight hours you sleep. While you slumber, their aroma fills the house with a scent that will have you hopping out of bed, excited about the meal ahead.
5. Prep Your Eyes for the Days Ahead
With the increased use of computer screens and television, our eyes may feel more tired than usual. Eye strain is a serious concern these days, so it’s important to make sure we’re doing our part to support a healthy environment for our vision.
LiveWell’s OptiWell features Lutein and Astaxanthin, ingredients that are proven to promote eye health, even after a long week of eye strain. It helps alleviate pressure behind the eyes, assists alignment with your circadian rhythm, and supports visual clarity.
In addition to OptiWell, there are also certain foods that nourish your eyes and protect them from damage. Berries, like strawberries and the blueberries mentioned in tip #3, contain vitamin C and antioxidants to support eye health. This not only prevents oxidative damage, but it also prevents dryness and other symptoms that can affect your day-to-day. Throw a cup of berries into a bowl in the morning, and your eyes will be off to a great start!
Now you get the idea. It’s time to come up with your own clever ways to make your breakfast sing!
Of course, if you want to add some more tips to nurture your ongoing health journey, you can always connect with Live Conscious on Facebook @weliveconscious and Instagram @weliveconscious.
6. Consider Your Workout
You can actually improve your morning workout if you eat breakfast first. The Mayo Clinic has some food and fitness tips that include eating your breakfast at least one hour before your workout, so you’re appropriately fueled. They say that carbohydrates before exercise can improve your performance and allow you to work out longer with more intensity.
If your workout is in the morning, you’ll also want to think about how much you’re going to eat, which foods are better for your workout, which help you stay hydrated, and you might want to break up your breakfast so you can eat something before and after you've done the sweating.
Waking Up To Wellness
Make the most of your mornings by treating yourself to some exciting meals that nourish you and give you a burst of energy. A supplement like OptiWell can help you protect your eyes from daily stressors.
In fact, the right foods, along with a Beyond Greens smoothie, can help you turn your dreaded workout into the enthusiasm-inspiring fitness frenzy that gym rats claim it can be. It’s true that breakfast sets the tone for so much you do in the day that it’s hard to believe you’re neglecting it.
Look at your regular breakfast routine and decide where you can make some improvements. Start small and build from there. With time and perseverance, you’ll find that you not only love breakfast, but you’re also really rocking the routine.
