Breakfast for Busy People

Are you too busy to eat breakfast? Would you prefer sleeping an extra 10 minutes instead of wake up early and making an omelet?

Maybe you are trying to lose weight and skipping breakfast helps you cut calories and reduce the amount of food you eat...

Whatever the reason, breakfast is really important for busy people to stay well energized and well nourished; and it can even help you lose weigh. When we eat food, carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in our liver and muscles. As we sleep our glycogen stores are depleted and used as energy for our central nervous system, brain, muscles, and for the production of red blood cells. When we awake we are pretty depleted and should eat a healthy breakfast to replenish our supply of energy for the morning.

If we do not eat breakfast our body begins to run inefficiently. We will have less energy since our reserves have been used up. Our brain is missing a fresh supply of carbohydrates so we may not think as clearly. Kids tend to do better in school when they eat breakfast compared to kids who do not. We tend to be more physically active throughout the day when we eat breakfast, and we are less likely to make unhealthy choices later in the day. Studies show people who skip breakfast tend to become too hungry later in the day, consume more overall calories, and select unhealthier foods than people who eat breakfast.

OK......we get that breakfast is important and healthy. So what can we eat when we don't have any time???

• Single serving yogurt + plastic spoon + sandwich bag with some whole grain low sugar cereal
• Banana + single serve peanut butter
• Instant oatmeal in disposable bowl +handful of nuts and raisins
• Tortilla + low fat cream cheese + piece of fruit
• Store bought hard boiled eggs + whole wheat toast + piece of fruit
• String cheese +handful whole grain crackers + tomato juice
• Store bought smoothie (aim for high protein, high fiber, low sugar)
• Homemade smoothie-make enough for the week and pour some into a thermos each day
• Frozen healthy muffins-heat in microwave before eating
• Fruit cup + plastic fork + healthy granola bar
• Cottage cheese with fruit + plastic spoon
• Toasted English muffin + low fat cream cheese + sliced tomato
• Healthy trail mix with fruit and whole grain cereal
• Lean turkey and cheese rolled in a tortilla + piece of fruit
• Microwave eggs mixed with broccoli + whole grain toast

Making a change to any routine can be a challenge, but with a quick trip to the grocery store you can have a healthy breakfast every morning that you can eat on the go. Pick 1-2 ideas and buy enough to last you through the week. Get creative and give breakfast a try; You can do it!