Finding time in the morning to cook and eat breakfast can be a difficult task. When living a busy and stressful work life, you need every minute you can get. Experts show breakfast is the most important meal of the day by relating skipping breakfast with type 2 diabetes. When you wake up, your body hasn’t consumed anything in more than eight hours and what you eat or don’t eat affects your metabolism and overall health.
Skipping breakfast can also lead to a lack of energy at work, which can impact your concentration and productivity. For many, settling for quick and easy items such as donuts, sugary cereals, and pastries on the way to work is normal, but those foods are unhealthy and can give you a short burst of energy with a sugar high that leaves you even more tired than before.
It’s important to have a mix of carbohydrates and proteins to not only give you a boost of energy, but also to help you maintain energy throughout your day. Most people know they need to eat better, but they may be tired of the same old bowl of oatmeal every morning. So here are some tasty breakfast ideas full of energy so your job performance can run on high-octane fuel.
Wonder Yogurt
Low-fat dairy products keep nervous systems going and can also keep you feeling full and satisfied. For extra nutrients, consider adding nuts or dried fruit to your yogurt. This can easily be put into a portable container and taken to work if time is of the essence. A quick way to add some variety and flavor to the healthier, but sometimes tasteless fiber rich bran cereal, is to replacing your milk with about eight ounces of lemon or vanilla yogurt.
If regular cereal doesn’t sound appealing, consider layering granola or weat germ, fruits and berries, and yogurt into a parfait. There are several varieties and mixes of fruits you can try.
Super Smoothies
If you want to expand on using fruits and other natural ingredients but are constantly on the go, consider taking advantage of the breakfast smoothie. Not only are they sweet and flavorsome, but they’re healthy and give you energy too. Antioxidants and other phytochemicals in fruits can improve brain function and give you the same energy from your office coffee mug of caffeine without the midday crash.
There are several different recipes and combinations of smoothies that utilize common and exotic fruit. You can drink them during your commute or enjoy one at the office without disrupting your fellow co-workers.
Even though sugar from fruits is much healthier than processed sugar used in most pastries, try to avoid sugary smoothies and focus more on protein based smoothies as often as possible.
Whole Grain Heroes
Sometimes you’ll be stuck at a desk or station for a very long time, and you won’t always have access to a snack. Having foods with high protein like nuts and seeds keeps your metabolism under control and will help you stay full while at work because small amounts of fat help maintain energy and keep hunger at bay.
One easy way to make sure you get your whole grains and protein is to bake and prepare breakfast foods ahead of time. Foods like almond-honey bars can last for days and are easy to grab when you are in a hurry.
Just because work occasionally demands more of your time doesn’t mean you should ignore your health. Your well-being and energy can directly affect your job productivity and routine. Enjoying a nutritious breakfast doesn’t have to be time consuming and can help you tackle your busy schedule head on. What have you had for breakfast that keeps you full of energy?
