In recent times we have heard a lot about intermittent fasting. Should we or should we not fast. This being my personal stand on the subject, I believe that most of us practice intermittent fasting daily. If you have dinner at 6:00 P.M. and eat breakfast at 7:00 A.M., you have fasted for about 13 hours. That is quite a long time for your body to go without nourishment. The truth is, many of us go even longer because we either delay breakfast or simply do not eat breakfast. Our lives are so busy that it is difficult to bring breakfast into the equation. Mornings are full of getting ready for school, work, or other activities. There are showers to take, hair to arrange, teeth to brush, and carpools and busses to catch. So, where do we fit in breakfast? For many of us, breakfast is non-existent. Our hunger pains are quelched by our morning activities. For others, breakfast may be our morning “snack” at break time. This may be a cup of coffee and a Danish or other sweet. Does that really qualify as “breakfast”? Probably not! So, what should a good breakfast be and how do we factor it into our morning routine?
According to MyPlate, every meal should contain ½ Plate of Fruits/Vegetables, ¼ Plate of Whole Grains, ¼ Plate of Protein, and one serving of Dairy. It can be difficult to follow MyPlate for Breakfast when we think about half of our plate being filled with Fruits and Vegetables. I like to relax things for Breakfast by moving a Vegetable to Lunch and a serving of Dairy to morning snack if necessary. A balanced Breakfast can consist of a serving of Fruit, a Protein such as an Egg, 2 T. of Peanut Butter, or 2 ounces of Turkey Sausage, a Whole Grain such as a Slice of Whole Wheat Toast or a serving of Oatmeal or other Whole Grain Cereal with Milk.
You may wonder how you can accomplish this when your morning routine doesn’t leave time for cooking breakfast. I recommend meal preparation ahead of time, on a weekend or slower time of your week. Using a mason jar or other container, I prepare yogurt parfaits. A cup of fat-free plain yogurt layered with a serving of mixed berries and topped with a serving of whole grain cereal. I like to hard boil half a dozen eggs that will be accompanied by a slice of whole grain toast, and an orange. Another favorite is to make a batch of individual quiche muffins. This is simply using my favorite quiche recipe, eliminating the crust and baking the egg mixture in a muffin pan. These little nuggets can contain an assortment of lean meats like Turkey Sausage or Canadian Bacon along with veggies like spinach, broccoli, and onion. To make an easy breakfast sandwich, pop one into the microwave to heat up while you toast a whole wheat English Muffin! Grab a glass of Juice and Breakfast is served.
Would you like more help with breakfast planning? I’d love to meet with you to help you meet your family’s needs. To make an appointment, please call 928-668-1803.
Easy Breakfast Parfait
1 Cup Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (counts as Dairy and Protein)
1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries)
1 Tablespoon Honey, Agave Nectar, or Sugar
¼ Cup Granola (select a low fat, low sugar Granola if possible)
Alternate layers of yogurt and berries in a pint-sized Mason Jar or other container. Sweeten each layer with honey or other sweetener. Top with Granola. Refrigerate until time to serve.