Olwen Anderson's Blog

Do you skip breakfast, not eating until the late morning or even later, just because you're not hungry? But you probably know how important breakfast is to help maintain a steady blood sugar level through the day. Your pattern of 'not eating in the morning' may have developed from some dysfunctional eating patterns over a long period of time. How did this happen?

WHAT DID YOU EAT LAST NIGHT?

Many people who don't feel hungry in the morning have eaten a huge meal the night before. Did you? If so, your digestion is still working on last night's dinner while you're getting ready to greet the new day. (If your liver function is sluggish you're even less likely to want breakfast.) But your blood sugar levels can't hold out for long, so by mid morning you're craving something to give you fast energy – maybe something sweet like a cake; or fatty, like a hot pastry. Then you eat a light lunch, and nothing more until your evening meal. By then you're starving hungry, and gobble down a huge portion of food. Then the cycle repeats itself the next day. Sound familiar?

HOW TO GET HUNGRY AT BREAKFAST TIME

If this is you, and if you'd like to break this cycle, here's how. Halve your portion size for tonight's evening meal. You're likely to go to bed feeling like you could have eaten more, but this will help you wake up in the morning feeling a little more like eating breakfast. Do yourself a favour and set your alarm clock a few minutes early so you'll have time to prepare some food.

Try a fruit smoothie for breakfast to start off your new habit. They're light, easy to digest, and won't leave you feeling uncomfortably full. As the days pass and you get used to eating in the early morning, change to a protein-based breakfast like a poached egg on toast. Now you're on your way. Remember, you can download your free healthy breakfast e-book from my web site. Look on the home page at www.olwenanderson.com.au 

Change your lunch meal also to include some high quality animal protein, and you'll find that you've got more energy mid afternoon when you used to have the dreaded three o'clock energy slump. Not only that, but you won't be so ravenously hungry by dinner time. 

Sound interesting? Try these techniques over the coming week and see how good you feel!

1. Spray a frypan with oil and heat.

2. Throw in a handful of baby spinach leaves. Put the pan lid on to help the leaves wilt faster.

3. Arrange the leaves into a circle.

4. Pour over a lightly salted beaten egg.

5. Have an egg flip handy to push any escaping egg back into the wilted leaves.

6. Flip the 'omelette' after a couple of minutes to cook the other side.

Done! Enjoy with some sliced raw tomato and cucumber.

I like to use lots of pots though, so I've enjoyed this dish with some home-made baked beans too!