In Chinese Medicine, the spleen and stomach are most active in the following times:

Stomach 7-9 am
Spleen 9-11 am

When you wake in the morning, your body’s energy is focused and ready to work the stomach which takes in food and in the spleen, which transforms food into nourishment and transports it to the various areas of your body that need it.

It makes sense that between 7 and 9am, you would intake food, so that your body can work from 9 to 11am.

Are you using these times for food intake? If so, what kinds of food are you putting in your body at this time? Perhaps you grab a bagel and cream cheese, perhaps a muffin, perhaps an Egg McMuffin. If you’re lucky, you get a pastry, a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausage and eggs, or an English fry-up.

What your mom said - eat some fruit!

Unfortunately, when it comes to being healthy, none of these options is a great way to start your day.

If you are unable to eat well during these times, it means that as you start your day and getting the swing of things at work, your blood-sugar is ready to plummet. The next thing you usually think of is to get anything into your mouth that will raise these levels again. While some berries or nuts would do, many of us end up with a pastry and coffee.

If you eat a healthy breakfast, your body transforms all of those nutrients into energy and this allows you to have a great day, full of energy and being alert.

Now that I have convinced you that EATING breakfast is a good idea, what should you eat?

Most of us think of breakfast as sugar or carbs. Pancakes, waffles, toast, donuts, pastries, scones, bagels, pies, sugar cereals, breakfast bars, muffins and the like. If we move on from the carbs, we then think of things that are too fatty, fried eggs, sausages, bacon, cream cheese on your bagels, cheesy omelets, Egg McMuffins, Sausage McMuffins, hash browns, and the like.

You may think that narrows down your options significantly, but there really are still many options available to you!

Yes, these things take time! You will find that if you manage an extra 15 minutes in your morning to fill yourself up with good food, you will pick that time up later in the day with being more alert and productive.

Some ideas:

• Oatmeal – You can add in flax, almonds and fruit. Stay away from the sugar though, add in honey, molasses or enjoy the fruit flavor!
• Granola – I like any granola that is whole grain, high in fiber and low in sugar. Be careful of pre-sweetened granolas, or ones with too much dried fruit. Fruit is good, eat it fresh and whole.
• Eggs – Eggs sometimes get a bad rap, but they are full of protein and stay with you during the day. Scramble them, make a frittata, by adding in some veggies and bake them. Eat them hard boiled. A hard boiled egg can make a great snack. Enjoy them with some whole grain toast and you have a great breakfast.
• Fresh berries, yogurt, granola. Get low-fat yogurt (not non-fat, as it often has too much sugar) or soy yogurt, cut up some berries or other fruits, add some healthy cereal.
• Grapefruit with whole-wheat toast & almond butter. Add a little sugar on top of the grapefruit, and it’s actually pretty good. The almond butter is healthier than peanut-butter, with lots of good protein to fill you up.
• Fresh fruit salad. Cut up some apples, melons, berries, oranges, pears, bananas, grapes … any or all or whatever your favorite fruits are. Add a little bit of lime or lemon juice. Perfect. Add in a hard boiled egg and you have enough protein to get you through the morning.
• Juice it – Celery, carrots, beets, apples, oranges, pears, ginger… add them all! Add in a good quality protein powder with vitamin supplements and you are good to go! This is an excellent breakfast in the spring and summer.
• Dinner – Don’t forget the other foods! Sometimes stir fry is a good breakfast. I have a pumpkin soup recipe that I have modified into a nice breakfast soup with curry, chicken, vanilla and cinnamon. Keeps me going all day! This is especially good in the winter.