The Blog
Northampton Chronicle & Echo 29/11/18
Thursday 29th November 2018
By The Barefaced Eating Blogger
Cereal Box Abuse
Why is it, we are told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet many of us still find little motivation to give it some proper thought? There are many campaigns, adverts and reports highlighting how breakfast wakes us up, it's able to "break" the overnight "fast" our bodies have gone through and it provides us with fuel to last us until lunchtime. But I bet if there is one meal you skip, it would be breakfast?
I hear many stories in my job as to why breakfast is missed or poorly treated-
1. I don't have time
2. I'm just not hungry
3. I'm on a diet
Do any of these three main reasons sound familiar?
Many of us were brought up on a box of cereal in the morning (remember the cereal that would make you "glow", the Tiger that was Grrrreat and don't get me started on the yellow, fluffy monster!) and this may have something to do with some of the issues we have now.
Cereal is little effort. It's cheap, it's quick and above all, generally it's very, very, very sweet and this has a massive appeal to a nation's growing sweet tooth. It's boxed and up and marketed to appeal to us all; do we have a chance?
I would like to stand up for the cereal box for a moment though. There are mindful and responsible companies out there who are working towards providing lower sugar cereals, they are fortified with vitamins and minerals to help towards keeping us healthy, yes, they are a quick to prepare in the morning and some of them even provide us with a wide range of coupons and vouchers to enrich or lives with...but really? Can we mix this up a bit?
In my household, I do consider a bowl of good quality cereal with a helping of organic milk or nut milk to be a better option than a child (or myself) going out of the door with nothing in their stomach. I keep these boxes for days of the week that I know we fly out like rockets or I keep them in reserve for a day a child is forgotten about and they weren't given their 10th wake-up call! You're all getting shoes on and someone mentions there's a child still in bed. It happens to us all
So, I won't give the cereal box a big NO, but I will throw you over some different ideas to try. With a little planning, they can be just as quick, and your body will thank you for something different.
Sliced apple, spread with nut/seed butter
Mash a banana on to toast/cracker and sprinkle with 1 tbsp mixed seeds
A plain yoghurt topped with frozen fruit and nuts
Scotch pancakes topped with bananas and coconut yoghurt
A seeded wrap, mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes, a handful of seeds and roll up!
A smoothie of any kind, just make sure there are nuts, oats, yoghurt or seeds thrown in, to boost protein and energy
Soak some oats in milk over night, with chia seeds. Stir up in the morning with a few frozen berries and maple syrup.
Have a go at this recipe - it's quick, healthy and will appeal to those who love the Black Forest Gateaux flavours. It uses the crunch and chocolate hit from cacao nibs which are a great store cupboard standby, they have no sugar and they're full of nutrition.
Black Forest Banana Split
Serves 1 - easily multiplied
1 banana, sliced lengthways
1 large handful of frozen black cherries
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 tsp low sugar jam
1 tbsp cacao nibs (or dark chocolate chips as a last resort!)
Place the berries in a small saucepan and dollop in the jam and 1-2 tbsp of water. Stir over a medium heat until melted and syrupy.
Place some of the berries on the plate, top with the banana, yoghurt, more berries and then the cacao nibs. Enjoy immediately.