Any grown-up pretty much knows that they should be eating breakfast. The theory “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” that your mother tried to engrain (stuffing cereal bars into your jacket whilst you scrambled to catch the school bus) in you, you know is true, but you still can’t get breakfast together. So is breakfast, when it seems to be the least convenient time of the day to eat, not to mention the time most of us don’t even feel hungry, really THAT important??

First of all lets look at the traditional breakfast in Western civilization. Toast, cereal, bagels, ham, more cereal, more bread. The past decade has seen a gigantic amount of controversy over these low-fat but high carbohydrate “perfect breakfasts.” Experts suggest a breakfast consisting of excess bread and cereal may be far too low in protein, fiber and good fat - the ingredients needed to stabilize the blood sugar and insulin levels (keeping your hunger cravings and energy levels under control). Many foods could be labeled mistakenly “healthy” just because they are low in fat. The reality is, if your meal fails to contain a balance of fat, carbohydrate and protein, you may hit hunger overdrive far before you need to - not to mention energy slumps. Chowing down a big breakfast because you think you are “fueling up for the slopes” can send you spiraling down hunger valley if you choose the wrong food combinations.

So what constitutes today’s “perfect breakfast” for an active lifestyle? There is no prescription. Personally, I could never follow someone else’s food choices, because I believe a healthy diet takes into consideration your personal tastes, food preferences, environment and lifestyle. The main point is that there is nothing vastly different about breakfast than any other meal, and a balanced meal contains approximately 20-30% fat, 40-50% carbohydrate and 20-30% protein. For example: you probably would not aim to eat potatoes alone for dinner, but include meat and vegetables. Eating a bagel with a slab of cream cheese with your coffee is pretty much equivalent, nutritionally speaking, as eating potatoes alone for dinner. Some nations eat in a similar fashion morning, noon and night, changing breakfast patterns from ordinary meal patterns could be a contributing factor to our society getting fatter.

The challenge is not about subtracting from your morning bagel or cereal: it is about adding to it. Expand your dietary patterns - eat your bagel whole-grain instead of white, with an apple instead of orange juice, use low-fat nut butter or a small handful of trail mix to balance your protein count. Mix your regular Cheerio’s with some old fashioned oatmeal, mixed with real fruit, soymilk or yogurt and almonds. Top your whole-grain English muffin with some low-fat cheese, and splurge on expensive out of season fruit like melon or grapes, before enjoying a latte on the gondola. Spending money on the little things that you enjoy in your diet can help avoid over-spending later on weight loss and cover-up clothes - resulting from over eating because your palette wasn’t satisfied. Remember that eating well and healthy is not the cheapest option, but it will pay off in the big picture.

Thinking outside the breakfast box is easy. Smoothies are great and quick - remember that fruits contain a surprising amount of “good” carbohydrates. Add yogurt, skim milk and perhaps a protein powder with fresh fruit - voila, you have breakfast in less than two minutes! Or take eggs on multi-grain toast, (limit the butter) add spinach or sautéed vegetables and low fat cheese, with an orange or apple. If all else fails, left over dinner can be the most balanced breakfast you can have - providing it covers all the major food groups.

There doesn’t seem to be much point in spending all of your pay check on equipment if you have to eat Kraft dinner’s for the rest of the month - prioritizing your food bank is just as important as other areas of your riding experience. You don’t have to eat a lot of food to make it work for you, you just have to make the right choices. Information on good eating can save you a lot of money, unnecessary weight gain, energy slumps and mood swings. Your mother was right, it does all start with breakfast, but largely because it is good to start your day on the right foot. Breakfast needs to be as balanced nutritionally as any other meal, so get with the modern way of eating and break your high carb-low protein breakfast habits to keep your morning blood sugar levels under control. Think quality over quantity, start your day with a good breakfast and mornings will become as high-energy as the rest of the day.

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