What’s for breakfast?

: in Blogs

When it comes to that all important meal at the start of the day, we’re all for convenience, but is there a healthy cereal that we can purchase conveniently at our supermarkets?

If you take a stroll down the cereal isle of your local convenience store or supermarket, you will be showered with a kaleidoscope of brightly coloured boxes. Are these appealing colours aimed at catching our attention, or have they been chosen to target our youth? But wait, there is more… did you know that the brands at eye level pay a bigger premium to get their products placed there? Next time you are in the store, take a look at the price differences; the cereals on the bottom shelves will be cheaper. If you really take a good look at these cheaper options, they may not even be familiar to you because they don’t advertise as much, and you may even find plastic packets rather than bright, cardboard boxes.

Speaking of the boxes, did you know that in certain instances, they actually cost more than the cereal to make? Another depressing reality is that the cereal inside these boxes is so far removed from its original form that they have to pump sugar, colourants, preservatives, synthetic minerals and vitamins and various E codes into them to get them tasting like something - this flavour enhancement is the realm of the food scientist. Often the grain that has been used has been completely striped from its original form, that by the time it lands in our bowl, it is completely foreign to our constitutions. Unidentifiable, processed, sugar-laden martians skid down our throats often with some hormone laden, puss-filled cow’s milk. Does that sound delicious? Is this the best way to start your day?

What are we doing? And what are we feeding our children? We’re talking about the most important meal of the day here! The meal that is supposed to get us going and keep us going. If you follow the phrase ‘breakfast is for kings’, then the foods you should be eating need to be clean, healthy and sustainable. This is the time in the day when you most need energy, this is the meal that’s going to help you win the rat race, reach your goals and so forth. Then I must question: are the processed, convenience cereals for you? Even most basic porridge oat cereals have been processed far too much, and the products that just require boiling water (quick oats) have been completely annihilated by processing. Organic jumbo rolled oats require overnight soaking and then an eight to 10 minute cook in the morning. However, not many of the convenience stores stock this more basic product.

The next time you reach out for your favourite cereal in a box, take some time to read the ingredients first. If there are words that you can’t pronounce, if they contain colourants, preservatives, sugar, high fructose corn syrup (and all the derivatives) etc, perhaps think again before you decide to purchase it. You probably only like it for the sugar and the colour of the box…

Where does this leave us? A visit to the health store would be a good start, but again you still need to read the labels before you purchase. You could also make your own homemade granola with organic oats, unpreserved dried fruits, activated or raw nuts and seeds and some coconut flakes. For the full recipe and a delicious dairy-free cream to munch it with, see page 146 of our Wholesome Nutrition book. Other ideas for breakfast could be a jam packed chocolate, peanut butter, protein smoothie (page 136), soaked oats (page 137), bacon, avo and cheese open toastie (page 140), frittata (page 152) or a banana, date and nut muffin (page 137). For the muffins, you can always double the recipe and freeze them. Take one or two out before bedtime and enjoy them warmed with delicious melted farm butter or some organic cheese of your choice. And then of course, there is the old faithful egg – fried, scrambled, boiled or pouched. Mix it up for the variety. Enjoy them with a slice of sourdough toasted rye, a dollop of sauerkraut and a good handful of micro herbs. These are the sorts of breakfasts that are going to get you going and keep you going. These are the choices that make your body do a happy dance and vibrate with good, positive energy. Soul food.

This is how I want to start my day, how about you?