Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Heard it all before? Well, it’s true and you can find out the hard way by skipping it or having a crappy breakfast meal, which will cause lack of energy, crashes, slower metabolism during the day as well as weight gain and the decline of health over time.

You think there’s a correlation between the fact that 4 out of 1 Americans skip breakfast and 31% of the people that do eat it, choose cereal as their main option (there were even worse foods on the list but the cereal was prevalent) and the fact that almost 70% of American are overweight or obese?

And please don’t ask why cereal isn’t a part of a healthy breakfast (hint: look at the nutritional content).

The reason I have brought this topic up is because I regularly get asked what are some options for a good breakfast in the morning before our a.m. Renton Boot Camp, when should they eat it etc.

My answer is that you should eat breakfast within 15-20 minutes up so that you get your body into optimal fat burning mode as soon as possible. By fueling your body with the right (healthy) foods as soon as you wake up you’re triggering your blood sugar into zone where your body will burn fat for fuel, have more energy and just feel damn good. That will start your day of on the right foot then just keep it going by eating every 2-3 hours. Here are some ideas for a great breakfast:

• Eggs, Spinach, 1/2 grapefruit
• Turkey Breast, sliced apples (I will grab some slices of turkey breast and just  eat it with my hands while eating apple slices to go with it)
• Greek Yoghurt, almonds and blueberries
• Hardboiled Eggs(always have some hardboiled eggs ready to go in the fridge),  Banana
• Oatmeal with Protein Powder and walnuts and cinnamon
• A shake- 2 scoops whey with  berries blended
• Cottage Cheese and Strawberries and a little Pineapple
• Ezekiel Bread or a Rice Cakes with Peanut  Butter or Almond Butter
• String Cheese, Piece of Fruit
• Turkey Burger or Buffalo Burger- Cook the Patty and have it in a Lettuce wrap with Avocado
• Scramble- Eggs with ground turkey, beans, onions, mushrooms and salsa
• Steamed broccoli, feta cheese, cranberries and chicken sausage

If you have trouble eating a real meal early in the morning before training then look to a meal replacement shake as it will give you the protein to boost the metabolism as well as a bunch of fiber.

To get more delicious breakfast ideas check out the Gourmet Nutrition cook book, which is my number one weapon for creating delicious, healthy and fast meals. Dr. John Berardi and his team really created a cookbook for the fit food lover!