When we begin our journey to take control of our own health through diet and lifestyle changes, the big question that often arises is “What in the world should I eat for breakfast?”

I have often wondered why it’s this particular meal that most of us get stumped on. We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that it is one that should never be skipped. In our culture however, most of us have turned our breakfast into a Halloween party in disguise. Our breakfasts are coming primarily from a bag or a box and contain so much sugar that we might as well be eating a bag of Halloween candy to start our day.

I don’t think any of us would actually sit down and eat handfuls of candy for breakfast, or let our children, so why then is it acceptable to drink a glass of orange juice, with a bowl of Captain Crunch, or a cinnamon roll, donut, or pop tart for breakfast? We need to rethink this. We need to think outside of the breakfast box! The reason we can’t figure out what to eat for breakfast is because we are not thinking of whole properly prepared foods. We have our heads stuck in the processed foods breakfast box.

Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day and it certainly should not come from a can, bag, or a box. It sets the stage for the rest of the day; if we start our days with sugar filled foods we will be craving sugar all day!! When we eat foods that cause a sharp rise in blood sugar (followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar) we will continue riding on the blood sugar roller coaster endlessly. We feel okay after breakfast and then a few hours later we’re dragging (blood sugar dropped). Now we need a pick me up BAD! We go for coffee, energy drinks, or run to the vending machine for some more sugar filled foods to get that rush of energy (blood sugar sky rockets) to get us through to lunch. After indulging we feel better again for an hour or two and then the whole cycle repeats over again until we drop in to bed often times so exhausted we can’t even sleep.

If we allow this lifestyle to go on long enough eventually our pancreas and adrenals will not be able to keep up with the demands we’re putting on them, they’ll start malfunctioning and eventually just give up all together!

So many of us these days suffer from blood sugar regulation issues and adrenal exhaustion that it’s beginning to be accepted as the norm.  Yes, this scenario is common, but it’s certainly not normal.

What is normal is for us to start our days off with a well balanced and properly prepared whole food breakfast that includes some protein and good fat so that we experience consistent and even energy levels and our blood sugar can rise and fall slowly in a controlled manner. This allows our pancreas to function normally and our adrenals to focus on more important things than trying to keep our out of control blood sugar patterns stable.

So starting today, get out of the breakfast box and get creative. If you need ideas or recipes, give us a call at Robust Life Center: 206-365-1030.