Between hitting the snooze button and rushing out the door, mornings can be hectic. Most of us, adults and youth, don’t make the time for breakfast. After sleeping for 6-8 hours, our bodies are craving for energy to start the day. This is where the importance of breakfast comes in. Eating breakfast 30 minutes upon waking helps you maintain your nutrition goals. Breakfast, combined with consistently eating throughout the day, helps curb cravings and prevents over indulging later on.
When it comes to performance, I like using the analogy of a car and gas tank. Imagine, you are the car and your energy stores are the gas tank. Would you ever start a road trip on an empty gas tank? No! Should you start practice or competition without energy from food? No! Whether you have competition in the morning or afternoon, performance and nutrition goals start in the morning.
Performance-enhancing breakfasts can be made ahead of time or consist of grab and go foods to make life easier. When preparing breakfast, you want to incorporate all three macronutrients; carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The energy provided from carbohydrates, muscle building ability from the protein, and heart healthy fats, make for the perfect ‘recipe’. Specifically including a fruit and/or vegetable provides essential nutrients that help with energy production and proper growth and development. This ‘recipe’ ensures you are starting the day with adequate energy for morning practices or staying focused during a busy school day.
Carb + Protein + Fat + Fruit/Veggie = Perfect breakfast recipe
Here are a few examples that include to get you started:
- Berries, Granola, Greek Yogurt Parfait
- Breakfast Burritos with peppers, Apple slices
- Cereal and Milk, strawberries
- Peanut butter, banana & Jelly sandwich
- Whole Wheat Toast, avocado, sliced hard boiled eggs, clementine
- Oatmeal with frozen berries and nut toppings
- Rice Cake with Banana and Peanut Butter, protein powder with cow’s milk
- Egg, Cheese, turkey bacon sandwich, canned peaches
- Spinach and cheese omelet, English Muffin with jelly, orange juice
Breakfast can help you reach your goals
No matter what your goals are, consistently including breakfast is one step closer to reaching those goals. Reassess your current breakfast ritual and look for ways to improve or adjust this meal. Here are a few scenarios that I see often when working with clients:
- Skipping breakfast all together? Think of an easy to prepare, convenient item to start the habit of eating breakfast.
- Looking to gain weight or build muscle? Add more calories at the beginning part of your day. This could be from higher fat foods such as avocado, nuts, or seeds.
- Struggling with mid-day fatigue? Ensure you are including a source of carbohydrates, protein and fats during breakfast.
- Not feeling hungry in the morning? Try a nutrient-packed smoothie that is easy on the stomach so you won’t miss out on calories.
Need more breakfast ideas? Reach out for a individual counseling or a team talk!
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