The Downside of Skipping Breakfast
When I treat my patients, I see them not as “a knee injury” or as “a back-pain sufferer,” but rather as a whole person in need of healing. In order for their bodies to heal optimally and to remain well, they must be kept well-fueled on a regular basis. Breakfast, I believe, is crucial to creating an environment for physical recovery and restoration.
One of my least favorite discoveries regarding my patients’ self-care is to learn that they skip breakfast on a regular basis. Upon hearing this, I tend to go immediately into “mothering mode”: “What do you mean you don’t have time for breakfast in the morning? or “Oh, you aren’t hungry? Well, eat anyway so you can train your stomach to expect nutrition before you head into your day!”
Even in the absence of a known physical ailment, behind the scenes your body is working—day and night—to protect and restore itself from both external and internal attacks. What sort of “arsenal” are you arming it with? Might you be short on nutritional supplies?
Today I’d like to offer you a couple of quick and easy, make-ahead, nutritious solutions to alter your “no breakfast lifestyle” so that you can eat, fuel, and heal on the go.
Omelet Muffins
Ingredients: 12 eggs (scrambled with S & P), 6oz. any cheese (grated or crumbled), small head of steamed (not raw) broccoli cut into bite sized florets, 1/2 red bell pepper (small dice). Spray muffin pan with olive oil, pour in egg, then top with veggies and cheese. Bake a 350°F for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Pop out when cool (use knife around the edge), refrigerate half and freeze half. They can be eaten at room temperature or warmed in the microwave—if you’ve got 30 seconds to spare.
Wrap and Roll
Choose two, 12-inch, “Carb Balanced” whole grain wraps. Smear them down the middle with low fat cream cheese. Add sliced smoked salmon (Nova Scotia) and chopped scallions or capers, or, if you are not into fish, prepare it with a few slices of cooked turkey bacon and cucumber slices. Roll them up, slice them in half, and you’ll have enough for four days!
