A Breakfast Recipe for the Anti-Morning Person
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and "they" are right. Your first meal sets the tone for your day's appetite and balances your blood sugar after a (hopefully) good night's sleep. By skipping breakfast, you're building up your hunger levels and depleting blood sugar levels to the point where you're inclined to grab the first thing you see - usually something quick, fast, and easy. After a few hours on the go in the morning, a croissant or a donut is so appealing, with its doughy sweetness appealing to your starving brain, that you'll most likely choose it over a healthier, more carefully considered option.
Now, believe me, I understand that we can't all be "morning people". Some of us would rather stay up all night and sleep all day and forget breakfast ever existed.
However, for the ones who sleep when it's dark and arise with the sun to put in a full day's work, the prospect of clambering about in the kitchen to prepare a healthy balanced meal at 6am is less than realistic.
There are also some who simply don't have the stomach for breakfast. For whatever reason, they just don't wake up hungry or crave any food until mid-morning, after they've been awake and active for a few hours.
I'd like to sway both camps by urging them to reconsider eating something within an hour of awakening. Why?
- Prevent Hypoglycemia. Hunger occurs only when our blood sugar levels deplete. This can create hypoglycemia in some people, which places extra burden on our bodies and changes the way we digest and absorb certain foods, especially sugar. Eating breakfast before we start to feel hungry will set you on the right track to a day without blood sugar crashes. This is also an important factor in weight loss.
- Fuel Your Body. Whether you get up early to exercise or not, your system needs refueling after a good night's rest. Even if you exercise first thing in the morning, a small snack before is crucial to making sure you don't tire out or exhaust yourself during your workout. Don't feel like hitting the gym? You'll still the need the energy as you go about your day!
- Avoid Overeating. When you eat breakfast, even if it's something small, you prevent yourself from overindulging at lunch and snacking mindlessly throughout the day. This refers back to the first point; consistent blood sugar levels keep you from reaching for the junk food and needing something to munch on between meals, or overdoing it at lunch and dinner.
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