I’m willing to bet that almost everyone has breakfast memories from their childhood. Maybe they involve your mom or dad putting a big home-cooked array on the table. Maybe it was about a bowl of sugary cereal or a warm bowl of oatmeal. I bet some of you remember popping a pastry into the toaster and grabbing it on your way out the door. And I’m willing to wager that for some, breakfast was about finding creative ways to avoid eating it at all. What do you remember about eating breakfast when you were younger?

So much has been written about the importance of a good, healthy breakfast. While not everyone has their first meal at the same time of day, we all eventually start our day eating SOMETHING, and having something highly nutritious when we do has a positive effect on everything that follows. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard enough time on some days getting that motor started in the right direction. I don’t squander the opportunity to increase my odds of having a good day. When we eat well, we feel energized, clear-headed and focused. I’m all in for that!

Breakfast sets up a domino effect of positive results that begin at the most basic levels of your body and extend throughout your body and mind all day. Having a healthy and well-balanced first meal of the day sets us up on a cellular level to function well, but equally importantly, when we prioritize our health and wellness it sets the tone for the next 24 hours. Studies have shown that folks who eat a nutrient-dense first meal eat healthier meals the rest of the day and tend to be healthier overall. Eating breakfast even provides a lower chance of being overweight as well as reduced risk of some chronic diseases.

Breakfast literally means “breaking the fast.”  Your body takes the night off from the work of eating and depending on how long you sleep and when you last ate, a great many hours are likely to have passed before you start your breakfast routine. Your first meal of the day helps your body restore glycogen and stabilize insulin. Keeping your blood sugar even by eating a healthy, balanced breakfast keeps you from feeling overly hungry, irritable and fatigued.

There is also evidence to suggest that eating breakfast actually encourages your body to burn more calories throughout the day. When you skip meals, your body begins to store calories (effectively to prepare for starvation), which in turn slows metabolism. By regularly skipping morning meals you are more susceptible to weight gain and have an increased risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. Needless to say, investing in a healthy breakfast is a great way to efficiently burn calories throughout your day and set your body up for sustained wellness.

With all this evidence of the benefits of a good breakfast, why do you think people still skip that wonderful meal?? Most commonly people tell me that they are not hungry or don’t have time to eat. That troubles me because I LOVE when delicious foods beckon to me at any time of the day. I was determined to bring easy, fast and APPEALING breakfast foods to my friends and family. With that in mind, I created Vegan Better Breakfast Bites E-Book to provide easy to create recipes for delicious, healthy, plant-based, gluten-free meals, including smoothies for a lighter option in the mornings. Even better, many of my breakfast options can be prepared ahead for meal planning convenience.

If you have read along this far, I know your health and wellness are important to you. So now, as we begin the new year and a new decade, it’s a great time to make a commitment to yourself. Let’s start each day with a delicious, nutrient-dense meal that fuels our energy to create the life and health we want! Viva BREAKFAST!!!!

Happy munching,