Breakfast – The meal you should never skip

SO, I have had a very busy month this month with early 6-7am clients on 4 out of the 5 days in the week.

Not sure about you, I find it hard to eat that early in the morning and I found myself skipping breakfast and eating later. Except the eating later was when I had lunch, which meant I was still down on calories for that time in the day.

Alongside the early clients, we have also decided to do some house renovation, so the last 2 weekends, DIY and decorating has taken precedence over breakfast!

This was a VERY bad decision on my part. Fast forward to 2 days ago, and I was an absolute CARBOHYDRATE HUNTING MONSTER! Nothing I ate was satiating my cravings!

I noticed that my sleep was not brilliant, brain fog was horrendous, and my irritability was through the roof.

Following the mad cravings, I sat myself down and had a look at what I was doing wrong.

Immediately checking when my next period was due, whether I had been taking my daily thyroid meds, and wondered if this was a new heightened symptom of MENOPAUSE!!

BEFORE I could blame peri-menopause, I dialled it right back to basics and reviewed how my hydration, sleeping, nutrition and exercise habits have been like lately.

I recognised that whilst my exercise and hydration had been amazing, I had to admit to myself that my nutrition had not been as great as it could be, and skipping breakfast was massively impacting on my health and wellbeing.

It’s ok to skip breakfast once in a while, but not as much as I had been doing, and then forcing my body to train under those conditions.

When we look at what might be happening when we skip breakfast:

1. Blood Sugar Levels: Skipping breakfast can cause your blood sugar levels to drop, leading to increased cravings for quick energy sources like carbohydrates.
2. Hunger Hormones: Yep, these are a thing. Your body releases hormones that regulate hunger. When you skip meals, it can lead to an imbalance, making you feel hungrier later.
3. Metabolic Changes: Regularly missing breakfast may signal your body to conserve energy, which can slow down your metabolism over time.

What else did I notice…..

The other things I was missing by not eating breakfast and following my normal routine, was that I had also missed taking my:

Tri-biotics containing B12 and Ashwagandha

greens powder which has my magnesium, iron and zinc

Vitamin C Tablet

You know all the supplements we take daily, and we question whether they are actually doing anything…. well for me, I can now genuinely say that what I take, really does help my body and mind function.

2 days after my insatiable carb monster trip around my kitchen, I have resumed my original routine of preparing my breakfast and taking my vitamins.

I have planned to mix up my breakfast and will make protein pancakes/waffles when I have time, and for the days where I am up early, I plan to pre prepare a fruit protein smoothie so that I can at least get breakfast in whilst I am working.

We should always aim for balanced meals that include protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates to keep you full longer and stabilize your energy levels throughout the day. Like mine, your cravings should normalize as your body adjusts.