Start the Day Strong! How many of you deal with afternoon slumps? Low energy throughout your day? Hunger midmorning that turns to unhealthy snacking? It all stems from your morning food: breakfast. We all have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, whether wanting to lose weight or wanting to improve performance or anything in between. But what does a good breakfast mean?

Research has found many reasons for making room for the "most important meal of the day." Probably the most appealing benefit is that breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and, thus, helps you burn more calories throughout the day.

When you eat breakfast you're telling your body that there are plenty of calories to be had for the day. When you skip breakfast the message your body gets is that it needs to conserve rather than burn any incoming calories.

Here are just a few benefits of making sure you get a nutritious breakfast in:

• Having a lower BMI

• Consuming less fat through the day

• Meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption

• Having higher daily calcium intake

• Having higher daily fiber intake

• Having better performance (memory and attention)

Breakfast is like exercising! When you fit it in, you feel great the rest of the day!

Western culture has a breakfast tradition of refined grains and sugar, with low protein and few opportunities for vegetables or healthy fats. This causing your blood sugar to spike first thing in the morning, causing increased energy, then crashing later. It also causes more storage of those sugars rather than utilizing them for energy. So the goal is to not spike your blood sugar first thing in the morning, and that is achieved using nutrients like protein and healthy fats. A satisfying and filling breakfast adds at least 10-15 grams of protein to it and adding healthy fats like omega-3's only boosting the breakfast even more. This looks like...

• 1/2 cup of oatmeal + 2 tbsp of nut butter + 1 tbsp of chia seeds/flax seeds
• 2 eggs + 1/2 cup of veggies + 1 oz of grass-fed cheese
• 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt + 1/2 cup of berries + 2 tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 piece of toast + 1 soft boiled egg + 1/2 avocado
• Protein smoothie with either scoop of protein powder OR 1 cup of Greek Yogurt OR 1/4 cup of hemp seeds

And so many more options! Check out the Quick Breakfast Cookbook for more ideas on how to power your day with a strong breakfast.