Get through the day by starting off with a decent breakfast, says nutrition expert
We know it's vital to eat something in the morning. But choosing the right type of food is just as important.
Eat well and you'll sail through the day, feeling happier and more energised.
Should you really breakfast like a king? Can a smoothie ever be enough? And why do you get so hungry after eating a bowl of filling porridge?
With so many myths surrounding the first meal of the day, it's no wonder we don't know whether it's OK to grab a piece of toast or if we should be rising early to whip up bacon and eggs.
Nutrition consultant and author Ian Marber, known as the Food Doctor, thinks we should ditch the typical breakfast of slices of toast and bowls of cereal.
He said: "Complex carbohydrates are converted from food to glucose slowly, which is great.
"But because complex carbs have an inferior alternative in simple carbs - white bread, sugar - I feel we've elevated complex carbs too much. These are good, but they're not THAT good."
Which explains why even a bowl of porridge or a slice of brown toast just isn't enough to keep hunger at bay and energy levels up until lunch.
Editor of Psychologies magazine, Louise Chunn said: "Eating the right breakfast does more than just boost your energy, it has psychological ramifications too - for your mood and for your attitude to healthy food for the rest of the day."
WHAT TO EAT
Ian recommends a mix of carbs and protein.
He said: "Protein is converted from food to glucose very slowly, which means your cells aren't flooded with more glucose than they can cope with."
Steady blood-sugar levels mean energy levels are kept steadier for longer, and that midmorning sluggish feeling can be held off. So poached egg (protein) on wholemeal toast (complex carbs) is ideal. Great, if you've got 15 minutes to cook first thing. But many of us would rather forfeit a decent breakfast to be able to spend that time in bed.
Ian suggests changing the way you think about cooking.
He explained: "You could scramble an egg in two minutes and eat it straight from the pan, then grab an oatcake on the way out of the door. It doesn't have to be beautiful."
And you don't have to fret about eating a different breakfast every day - as long as you have a varied diet for lunch and dinner.
Take as many shortcuts as you need, if it means you'll eat the oh-so-important protein/carb mix each morning.
One more thing you should know before you make the perfect energy-boosting breakfast is the difference between complete and incomplete proteins.
Meat, eggs, fish, tofu, milk and cheese are complete, while oats, nuts and seeds, rye and beans are incomplete.
Ian said: "You should eat complete proteins with each meal."
This doesn't mean adding fish or cheese to everything but rather that incomplete proteins shouldn't be eaten alone.
Instead, add a different incomplete protein to the meal - one slice of toast with humous, the other with peanut butter, for instance - and problem is solved. It's a rule vegetarians especially should take note of.
WHEN TO EAT
Should you eat as soon as you get up or go without for as long as possible? And what if you can't face food first thing?
According to Ian, make sure you eat something within half-an-hour of getting up, "even if it's just half an apple and two brazil nuts, representing your carbs and protein". Eat a second, larger breakfast later.
This two-breakfast method might be the solution if you find yourself getting hungry mid-morning.
Ian said: "I favour eating little and often. Better that than trying to fit in one big morning meal.
"You know the old adage, 'Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper'. That's simply because of the idea that you've got a long time to burn off a lot of energy.
"But when they are flooded with glucose, your cells don't say, 'Ah, it's breakfast, we'll save some of this for later'. They just store what they need to store. If you overeat, it is stored away." Have a smaller dinner, or one with less carbs, because you won't necessarily use up the calories.
Having two breakfasts, or one plus a couple of protein/carb snacks throughout the morning, is a surefire way to keep your energy levels steady.
But it's important for mood, too.
From a psychological perspective, hunger puts a huge strain on us. We beat ourselves up for wanting food outside of set meal times.
Ian believes this results in a "feastor-famine, boom-or-bust" way of eating, leads to us feeling miserable. Mood can also be affected by the things we eat.
Ian said: "Nothing works straight away but things that change your mood are too much carbs, refined sugar and caffeine.
"These affect your glucose levels indirectly through the action of adrenaline. Caffeine mimics the effects of stress, for example and they change your mood and behaviour, at the time and afterwards."
After forcing your glucose levels to rocket rapidly, your morning coffee and those sugar-laced cereals soon make your blood-sugar levels crash, leaving cravings for more caffeine, sugar and simple carbs. And so the cycle goes on.
BREAK THE CYCLE
A decent breakfast can break this negative cycle. The body is satisfied until lunchtime, or until the next protein/carb snack. And the mind is set up differently, too.
Starting the day with a healthy meal means we're more likely to eat well for the rest of it, according to Zoë Harcombe, author of The Obesity Epidemic. On the flipside, an unhealthy breakfast makes us more likely to eat junk.
Zoë said: "We all have this good-andbad-day mentality. If you say you're only going to have porridge for breakfast and then end up having porridge and a croissant, you think, 'I've ruined it now'. So, today might as well be a bad day and you'll eat badly again until the next morning.
Ian agrees, and suggests the effect is even worse at weekends. Have a greasy fry-up on Saturday morning and you probably won't eat properly until Monday morning.
Weekends make up a decent chunk of our lives, so that's a lot of time to spend eating badly.
Even if you've never bothered slotting breakfast into your routine before, perhaps it's time for a rethink. If slapping a layer of salmon pâté or adding a sprinkle of seeds is all it takes to make your day easier, then surely it's worth it.
The full feature is in the March issue of Psychologies - out now.
MAKE A HEALTHY START - ALL THE SMALL THINGS
Transform your regular breakfast into a mood-boosting, energyraising meal by simply making these little changes.
Instead Of Slice of white toast and jam TRY Slice of wholemeal toast, rye toast, oatcakes, corn thins or ricecakes topped with any of the following: scrambled, poached or boiled eggs, smoked salmon, smoked haddock, fish pate, peanut butter, baked beans, houmous or grated cheese.
Instead Of Fruit yoghurt TRY Live bio natural yoghurt with chopped fresh fruits or raisins, and seeds, nuts or oat flakes.
Instead Of Bowl of porridge and honey TRY Half a bowl of oat porridge mixed with half a bowl of plain yoghurt, chopped fresh fruit or raisins, and seeds or nuts.
Instead Of Bowl of cornflakes or sugar puffs TRY Bowl of cereal (not sugared or with honey), chopped fresh fruit or raisins and seeds or nuts.
Instead Of Fruit smoothie TRY Smoothie made from plain yoghurt, apple juice and seeds or half a banana, and a few nuts; or a fruit smoothie blended with silken tofu.
Instead Of Cup of coffee TRY Cup of decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated tea, green tea, peppermint tea.
Instead Of Bowl of regular muesli TRY Low-sugar muesli, chopped fresh fruit and an extra handful of nuts and seeds.
Instead Of A plain croissant TRY Ham and cheese croissant.
HOW TO EAT RIGHT FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
A day of stress
Got a big meeting, a stressful family event or a deadline to meet? Even if you won't stick to the protein/carb mix for the rest of the week, it's vital you do the morning before. Your body needs glucose, otherwise it's forced to rely on adrenaline for energy. And while that can keep you going for a short time, it won't last.
Food Doctor Ian Marber said: "Adrenaline is a wild card. It can easily get the better of you. You can feel sort of high from it, almost hysterical and uncontrollable." Which, of course, is never conducive to productivity.
You also need food with a high level of B vitamins, magnesium and vitamin C to get your brain working properly. Try extra Brazil nuts for magnesium, fortified cereals for B vitamins and oranges and kiwi fruit for vitamin C.
OFF TO THE GYM
Exercise on an empty stomach and you'll burn off fat cells to provide energy, so the myth goes. But eventually it''s counterproductive.
Ian explained: "At first, glycogen is used, then adrenaline, so you might get a bit of potential fat loss, but it's not quite that simple. The more often you lay down fat and try to dip into it, the less likely it will be that your fat cells will give their fat up."
The solution? Have an apple or banana before your workout, then a second breakfast post-gym.
