[n-er-gise]

Is this you? You make sure you always start your day with a hearty and healthy breakfast because you know it’s the most important meal of the day. Maybe you choose a tasty bowl of cereal or a couple of slices of toast with marmite (or should I say vegemite now that I’m in Oz!)? Perhaps you are on a bit of a health kick so you enjoy a nice bowl of muesli with dried fruit or some chopped fruit and your favorite brand of yogurt? You feel satisfied at the time but by the time you get to 9.30am  you are absolutely starving! How can this be, you think?

The answer is that you probably aren’t getting enough protein for your breakfast. Many of the pre packaged cereals, muesli’s and breads are packed full of hidden sugars which will initially spike your blood sugar levels, filling you up and giving you a surge of energy. However, soon after your blood sugar levels will come crashing down, that’s when you feel hungry and need more food again. It is kind of similar to a roller coaster, what goes up must come down, so the higher your blood sugar travels up the lower it will go when it eventually dips.

So what to do about it? By eating a protein rich breakfast (which also includes some healthy wholegrains and good fats) you can help to keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the the day. In otherwise avoiding the roller coaster effect. This will not only encourage better sustained energy levels but it will also stop you feeling hungry and will be better on the waist line!

Here are my 5 Favourite Protein Rich Breakfast choices:

2 Boiled Eggs on 1 slice of multi seed toast with avocado and tomato (for those of you in Sydney there is a bakery in Bondi Beach that does a quinoa and amaranth bread, that is honestly to die for!)

Smoked salmon, cottage cheese and chopped cucumber on 1 slice of multiseed toast. Add a few pepita seeds for some good fats.  (I also recommend adding chopped chives to the cottage cheese, if you have the time!)

Spinach and feta omelette (*a very small amount of feta if you are trying to loose weight!) with 3 oatcakes or 2 ryvitta (I know it sounds like a hastle but honestly omelette’s are such a quick thing to cook! Literally bung the beaten eggs into a pan with a little olive oil. After about a minute add the spinach and small portion of feta, fold the omelette over and continue to heat for a another minute or so and serve)

A good portion of unsweetened natural yogurt with a high protein mix created from; chopped almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds

Smoked kipper or mackerel (You may think I am crazy but they are fantastic for brekkie! They are really tasty and SO good for you…Give them a go!) with cherry tomatoes and 1 slice of multi seed toast

I hope you enjoy! If you have any other protein rich brekkie ideas then feel free to share.