Quick doesn't always mean its OK
We all have work-ons to help improve who we are and what we do. Sometimes your easiest goal can be achieved by making one meal better. Breakfast might be yours. If you are a young athlete who trains many hours every week, has school, homework, maybe a part-time job, maybe more than one sport to perform at your best, then let’s take a look how you kick-off your day.
Starting the day with a couple of pieces of toast or a few Weet-Bix in a bowl isn’t performance nutrition and isn’t going to turn you into the best athlete you can be. And if your breakfast is the same size as what your nana eats then its time to make some changes for the better.
If you are a young athlete looking to grow bigger, stronger, faster or improve your energy levels then adding one to two extra foods at breakfast can make a big difference. I have worked with athletes in the past, who by simply doubling what they eat at breakfast have made some of the biggest performance gains.
(And if you are really looking to make this work for you then rolling out of bed 5 minutes early won’t hurt too much either!)
Add-ins could include: an extra glass of milk OR a yoghurt OR 2 slices peanut butter on wholegrain toast OR 2 eggs.
We know that waking and eating can be a challenge for some and like all things it takes practice. Your typical cereal and milk choices might be tough work to eat first thing in the morning and there might be something else that will actually work better for you. Don’t feel that breakfast is limited to breakfast foods. I have an 18year old niece playing National League Waterloo who will gladly eat a large breakfast if it can be heated up (last nights dinner leftovers would be her ideal choice) but would rather miss breakfast if cold milk and cereal was the only option (this is her preferred afternoon choice). Others do much better if they can drink their breakfast. This is where smoothie options can be useful.
Breakfast can often lean towards carbohydrate-rich foods. For example cereals, toast and fruits all fall into this category (which is why a breakfast of toast with honey and a glass of juice doesn’t complete the picture because it has no protein). Getting in a serving of protein at each meal and snack is a good way to plan your foods and hit your protein requirements. Easy breakfast protein foods to get you started include eggs, milk, yoghurt, baked beans, lean ham.
Fibre. (Are we for real?) Yep, without the undigested parts of plant food in our gut, our gut gets slow and sluggish. Good gut health is essential when you have high demands for energy and quality foods. We need fibre to keep everything moving nicely through our digestive system and we know it has such an important role for our immune function too!. Grain foods (grain based breakfast cereals and breads) as well as vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of fibre. See, thats why we are always telling you to eat less of all that white bread and eat more vegetables, fruits and grains. It can be as simple as walking out the door chomping on a post-breakfast crisp apple.
Was having: Smoothie made with 1 cup milk + 1 banana + 1 small scoop ice-cream
Now having: Smoothie made with 1 cup milk + 1 banana + 1/4 cup frozen berries + 1/4 cup oats + 4 tablespoons yoghurt + a drizzle of honey
Was having: 1/2 cup rice oats + ~1/2 cup milk after early morning training
Now having: 3/4 - 1 cup rice oats + 1 cup milk. Adds sliced banana to the bowl. Follows this up with either 1 fruit yoghurt (because she doesn’t like it mixed in with her food) OR 1 slice toast with peanut butter.
