Without breakfast, your glycogen stores are half-empty and will continue to wane throughout the morning. By midday you will already feel a lack of energy.
So, "Break the fast," as they say. Start your day by having breakfast.
I’d like to share with you some of my favorite breakfast choices:
• Whole wheat bread with a bit of cottage cheese and tuna (in water or brine). I put a bit of pepper and calamansi for taste. I have brewed coffee with this or a slice of papaya.
• Cheese quesadilla. Ingredients are one pita bread, cottage cheese, tuna in brine, onions and a bit of butter.
Spread a small amount of butter over half of the pita bread. Then put tuna, cottage cheese on top and chopped onions. Fold the pita bread and toast for about three minutes. Then cut into desired size.
• Rice flakes with banana, low-fat milk, brown sugar, raisins and corn flakes.
Heat milk and brown sugar and pour over rice flakes. Chop the banana and mix it with the rice flakes. Sprinkle some raisins and corn flakes on top.
Try an orange or melon shake with this.
• Pancakes with any dried fruit. I’ve tried this with dried pineapple flakes.
This recipe has dried pineapple flakes, one egg, low-fat milk, about 50 g. of whole wheat flour, two tbsp. butter and two tsp. sour cream.
Chop the pineapple in a board and add milk. Leave to stand for five minutes.
Beat the egg in a bowl and add the fruit mixture. Sift the flour and stir it in the mixture. Let it stand for two to three minutes.
Heat one teaspoon butter in a small non-stick pan and fry the pancakes over high heat until golden brown, using half the mixture each time. Spread one tsp. of sour cream over each pancake, roll it up and sprinkle with more pineapple flakes or another dried fruit of your choice.
Here are some of my favorite smoothies:
Mango, yogurt and orange smoothies. Ingredients are one ripe mango, one orange, calamansi, two tsp. oat bran, 125 ml. of yogurt and 125 ml. of water.
Peel the mango and slice into cubes. Squeeze the orange and mix the calamansi into it. Puree the mango together with the orange, calamansi, oat bran, water and yogurt in a blender.
Papaya and pineapple milk. This drink is particularly high in potassium and beta carotene. Ingredients are one papaya, one small pineapple juice from one-half lime, 200 ml. of low-fat milk and water.
Cut the papaya in half, remove the seeds. Spoon or dice the papaya. Peel the pineapple. Cut into small pieces. Puree the pineapple in a blender with the papaya, lime juice and milk. Add water.
Banana and yogurt smoothie. Ingredients are one banana, yogurt, one-fourth cup of low-fat milk, one fourth cup or less of honey and crushed ice.
Chop the banana. Put in a blender with yogurt, milk and honey.
Here are just some of my favorite breakfast choices. Try them. Start your day right. Eat breakfast!
(E-mail me at babyjackster@yahoo.com)