Breakfast is so important for so many reasons. If you’re not a breakfast eater, consider how you can be creative about getting in just a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to kick off your day. Remember, you don’t have to eat “breakfast-y” foods for breakfast. There’s nothing wrong with eating chicken and broccoli for breakfast. Actually, a lot of trainers and uber fit people do just that.

If the idea of food first thing in the morning makes you wanna barf, keep it small: a piece of fruit and a few nuts, a piece of toast and nut butter, a bit of yogurt and granola.

Feel free to keep breakie really simple. It can certainly be a grab ‘n go kinda meal. Many of my clients kick of their morning with a LaraBar or Zing Bar as they drive to work. That’s just fine – a decent source of carbs and protein with no kitchen time can be the best answer of you don’t have a moment to spare in the morning.

Now, just so you know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you should be aware that breakfast is important, essential actually, for the following reasons:

1. A healthy breakfast helps to regulate and stabilize your blood sugar for the day. When you haven’t eaten all night, what you put in your body first thing in the morning can really dictate how you feel all day. If you grab a muffin first thing you give yourself a big surge of sugar (and insulin) and end up spiking and crashing your blood sugar right off the bat. NOT a good way to start the day. This is why you should have a some protein AND carbs with breakie.

2. A healthy breakfast will help you make healthier food choices the rest of the day. It’s so true. If I eat a muffin or a croissant first thing, my food choices are a mess ALL day. If I start the day with balanced nutrition, I make positive, nutritious choices all day. I’ve tested this. Believe me on this one!

3. No breakfast = no brain food. Have you ever done the Adkins diet or another very low/no carb diet? If so, you certainly noticed that your brain function was not spot on when you went completely without carbs. Same thing happens when you don’t eat breakfast. Your brain needs carbs to function properly. Now you definitely want to balance carbs with protein at breakfast. But complex carbs are your friend in the morning. Gotta fuel the brain!

4. If you work out in the morning (as I always preach!), you need to replenish and refuel. Working out first thing and then skipping breakfast is like a waste of a workout. You’ve worked so hard to stimulate your metabolism in your workout. Now you MUST feed it!! It is essential to get in a good source of carbs and protein after your workout. This will help your muscles repair, rebuild and get stronger. This will help fuel your metabolism. This will replenish your glycogen (think blood sugar) so you’re not cranky. See – very important!

5. There is research to show (and I’ve seen it first hand over and over and over in my own clients) that people who don’t eat breakfast are more likely to be obese and have a harder time losing/maintaining their weight. People who skip breakfast are more likely to make poor food choices later in the day. They are also more likely to consume more calories later in the day.

Sooooooo – Brenda just posted a fantastic breakie recipe on her blog. I hope you try it. It is a perfect blend of protein, fat, carbs, fiber. Plus tons of vitamins and nutrients. Brenda used amaranth in her recipe, a teeny, tiny grain. But you can easily substitute oatmeal or quinoa. In fact, I’ve used microwavable Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal for this recipe. Super fast and easy.

So hop on over to Fried Eggs and Toast to get your breakfast on!

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