The Importance of Breakfast

[Guest guest]

Just found this little article on breakfast and thought it was

interesting. Very common sense but reassuring that i'm doing the

right thing. I've bought some oats and bran but have yet to do

anything with them. Does anyone know anything i could make up at

night to have the next morning that wouldn't go funny?

 

Laura

 

Breakfast

 

Breakfast provides an invaluable opportunity to enable you to

maximise your wellbeing. A bowl of fresh fruit salad, eaten shortly

after getting up, for example, will provide a slow release of energy

to help you get through the morning, as well as a dose of vitamins

and minerals. Scrambled eggs on toast, on the other hand, supply a

dose of protein that goes towards building up your muscles, which is

particularly necessary if you expend a lot of physical energy during

the day. Everyone responds differently to food in the morning: some

people feel sleepy and unable to function after eating a large

breakfast, whereas others need a hearty breakfast before they embark

on the day's activities.

It has been proven that the body performs and feels better if you

eat something (however little) between waking up and having lunch.

Because you have had to rely on your body's reserves to keep you

going overnight, the morning is the best time to start topping them

up again. Scientific studies have furthermore shown that children

who either skip breakfast or eat very little at the start of the day

are at a disadvantage compared with those who eat a healthy

breakfast. This is because the brains of children who have empty

stomachs tend to receive less than the ideal level of blood sugar.

Children who've breakfasted properly generally have better reaction

times and are also more proficient at such problem-solving exercises

such as mental arithmetic. A well-nourished brain can improve

adults' abilities to recall information too.

The best way in which to deliver nourishment to your brain is to

package it within in a high-fibre, carbohydrate-rich food, such as

wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereal, oats, or fresh fruit. The wide

range of foods offers you flexibility and choice at breakfast time.

If time is short in the morning, how about a fruit smoothie or

porridge with honey and apple purée, these are ideal breakfasts

being both quick to prepare and containing energising properties.

They are also a good way in which to give children a vitamin boost

at the beginning of the day. If your early mornings are not so

rushed, relaxing over a wild mushroom omelette with fresh herbs is a

highly effective way in which to prepare yourself for some

productive hours.

 

Banana and Pineapple Energising Fruit Smoothie

 

makes 1 large glass

Ingredients

3 bananas

½ fresh pineapple, skin and core removed

45ml/3tbsp natural yoghurt

Method

Puree all of the ingredients together in a liquidiser until smooth

and then drink immediately.

Magic Ingredient - Bananas

Bananas are full of slow-release sugars, so if you have one for

breakfast, perhaps in this smoothie, it will sustain your energy

levels throughout the rest of the morning. Note that this smoothie

can't be kept for long, because after a while the banana will turn

grey. In addition, don't keep the smoothie in the fridge, because

this can cause the banana to change its chemical composition and

thereby cause stomach upsets. It also causes the banana to turn an

unappetising grey.

 

 

Porridge with Honey and Apple Purée

 

Serves 1

Ingredients

for the apple purée:

2 large Bramley apples, peeled and cored

juice of ½ lemon

dash of water

for the porridge:

1 cup porridge oats

2 cups water or milk (or a mixture of the two)

pinch of salt or brown sugar

15ml/1tbsp acacia or runny honey (optional)

Method

Make the apple purée by slicing the apples into a small saucepan and

adding the lemon juice and a dash of water. Bring to the boil, then

cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft,

stirring occasionally. Using either a hand blender or a fork, mash

the apple into a soft purée. (The purée can be kept covered in the

fridge for a few days.) Place the oats, water or milk and salt or

brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring all the

time. Simmer for 10-15 minutes (depending on the desired texture)

and continue stirring. Gently stir the apple purée (and a little

honey, if you prefer a slightly sweeter taste) into the porridge and

serve at once.

 

(by Jane Clarke, in bbc good food magazine 2003)