What’s your BREAKFAST doing to your BRAIN? Ever thought about just how important the first meal of the day is for your brain functioning .....

Do you find you are feeling sluggish, battling to concentrate, craving sugar or sweets, craving carbs? No energy to exercise? Poor sleep quality? Gaining weight? Demotivated? Depressed? 

Heard of Glucose Spikes? Blood Sugar Balancing?

Does following an eating plan that is delicious, simple, easy, fulfilling and that really works to get the health results you want interest you? A way of eating that works with the design of your body and becomes a new way of life rather than a short term endurance test. As a Health Coach, I have made it my business to learn what constitutes true health and wellness and the optimum health-promoting diet for my clients; it’s important to understand what we need from our food to support us physically and emotionally, and how to create a personalised way of eating that works for us.

The solution to modern-day health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, dementia and other chronic diseases, starts with what we eat. Diseases that are often referred to as ‘lifestyle’ diseases due to their close connection with how we live our lives and what we eat. Therefore, we should aim to balance our blood sugars and stay off the Blood Sugar rollercoaster.

What is blood sugar balancing? It’s controlling the yo-yo effect of sugar in our blood stream.

The more your blood sugar goes up and down, the more fat you store. Extra sugar in your body is stored as fat! High blood sugar damages arteries and insulin is released. Low blood sugar makes you tired, affects your mood, resulting in bad concentration and Cortisol (our stress hormone) is released.  The more you keep you blood sugar on a good level, the more concentration you will have, less mood swings (no more “Hanger”), no “Fat storing” dips and fat burning will be at its optimal.

Blood Sugar Balancing Guidelines

1.      Start your day with a PROTEIN breakfast.

For a cold breakfast: If Cereal is your go-to, make sure it has no fruit, is low carb and you add it to a Full Fat Greek Yoghurt and a scoop of Protein shake to bring your protein into your meal.

For a hot breakfast: There are many lovely non-starchy veggies that can be paired with eggs, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, capsicum, onions and spinach. Avocado and grilled halloumi are also great options for breakfast time, providing additional beneficial fats.

2.      Add low carb veg to every meal, this will line your stomach with fibre reducing the glucose spike into your blood stream, if you do have a carbohydrate for breakfast

3.      Eat whole fruit and always have protein or a healthy fat with it “Put on some clothes” or eat it at the end of your meals.

4.      DON’T drink your fruit!

5.      Eat healthy fats at every meal – Protein and Fats do not spike your blood sugar.

6.      Protein at every meal.

7.      Eat at least 3 meals a day, have an afternoon snack (protein and veg) if you get peckish before dinner.

8.      Drink at least 2 litres of water a day

9.      Wholegrain or whole-food based carbs such as quinoa, brown or wild rice, buckwheat, and bulgur wheat are ideal. Nutritious sources of carbs like pumpkin, butternut, beetroot, new potatoes, and sweet potatoes are good in moderation. It is best to steer clear of white rice, white pasta, and processed carbs.

10.  Unsweetened herbal teas count towards your daily water intake, while caffeinated tea and coffee should be limited to one cup per day.

11.  Reduce alcohol consumption while working towards blood sugar balancing. Stick to a maximum of four glasses of wine, tots of spirits, or half pints of beer per week.

The beauty about following the guidelines above is it’s easy, wholesome, balanced, supportive, suitable for the whole family and an ideal way to ensure we protect our brain functioning and ensure our longevity and vitality.