For the love of breakfast!

15th February

It’s famously known as the most important meal of the day, but so many of us don’t get the nutritious breakfast that our bodies need, and some often skip it altogether. Did you give the breakfast your love deserves on Valentines Day?

Believe it or not, you actually burn calories in your sleep. That’s right, when you’re in the middle of dreamland, your body is constantly working. When you wake up in the morning, you’ve gone for a long period of time with no food and effectively fasted throughout the night (unless you sleep walk your way to the fridge every few hours for a snack). Your body needs food in the morning to kick-start your metabolism and break the fast (breakfast…gettit?).

Without eating soon after you wake up, your body is running on no fuel so it’s way more likely you’ll reach for sugary treats or binge when you realise you’re hungry. This could be a contributing factor as to why those who don’t eat breakfast tend to carry more weight than those who do.

A healthy breakfast makes you feel alert and focused for the day. But habits aren’t formed overnight; it can take around 21 days to make something part of your routine. If you manage to fit in a decent breakfast every day, you’ll feel way more energised and wonder how you ever got by before!

Not having enough time for breakfast is just not an excuse anymore. It’s easy to make a few changes, whether you drag yourself out of bed 10 minutes earlier or even prep your breakfast the night before so as not to sacrifice valuable shut eye. Freeze bags of fruit for smoothies, or portion up oats with protein powder in bags to save time in the morning.

If you find you train better in the morning when you’re fasted and can’t eat before making it to the gym, that’s okay. A lot of people make the most of their workouts on an empty stomach. But it’s really important to refuel properly after a workout. A breakfast focused on protein and carbs will help to aid in the recovery of your muscles and replace the glycogen you’ve lost, setting you up nicely for the day. Oats, eggs on toast or a cheeky protein pancake if time allows, are perfect post-workout breakfast options.

If you don’t tend to workout in the morning, a light protein-packed brekkie is enough to break that fast and keep you full until lunch. Try high satiety foods such as natural or Greek yoghurt with some berries and nuts for a morning energy boost. In addition to the protein from the nuts, the healthy fats will also provide the energy you need for the day.

You could also try these mini breakfast frittatas. Packed with protein and easily freezable, these are so quick to prep and store for a grab and go breakfast.

Mini Breakfast Frittatas – Makes 6

Per frittata (guideline): 95kcals; P: 7g F: 7g C: 2g

• Coconut oil, for greasing
• 5 eggs
• 55g chorizo, cubed
• Handful of spinach, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions thinly sliced
• 3-4 sprigs of parsely, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Grease a 6-holed muffin tin with coconut oil and preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

Fry the chorizo in a pan (no oil needed) until it starts to crisp up. Add in the spinach until it wilts.

Whisk up all the ingredients in a measuring jug.

Pour into the muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the frittatas have just set.

You can really use any combination of ingredients for these; anything goes so get experimenting!

Our bodies love breakfast due to all the benefits it provides us. So embrace it, make the time and enjoy it!

You can follow Catrina on Twitter: NutSoNaughty or Insta: @nutsonaughty