Eating a Healthy Breakfast
I’m not a breakfast person. I’m not hungry in the morning, I guess because my digestive system takes a long time to wake up. Until a week ago, my breakfast was a glass of juice or yoghurt with my vitamins — a couple of hours after I’d savoured one or two lattes.
Last week’s news that I am headed for IVF and the subsequent conversation I had with Dr. D’s assistant / patient liaison coordinator, Ms. M, meant making a few lifestyle changes. Thankfully, I already eat healthily (and take the recommended supplements — Ms. M approved the 25mg of DHEA three times a day, but said to up my intake of CoQ10 from 100mg daily to 1,200mg daily!) but I knew breakfast could be a great way to get my day off to a good start.
Here’s what I eat:
Açai
Rich in anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant that may interfere with the aging process. I drink a glass of its juice in the morning to boost egg quality.
Caffeine-free Tea
Today marks one week with no caffeine, not even chocolate (boo hoo!). I’ve tried Dandelion Root and Raspberry, which are both full-bodied like a caffeinated black tea, but I just love Herbal Cup’s Ayurvedic Women’s Blend. It’s been a bit of a drowsy week, but I’m learning to live without my beloved morning cup of robust Assam and afternoon cup of Earl Grey (with a square of chocolate).
My acupuncturist made a very good point: take your supplements with a warm / hot beverage to help break down the gelatin casing so your body absorbs as many vitamins and nutrients as possible.
Berries
The IVF clinic recommended I eat lots of food rich in antioxidants — especially blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, and pomegranate. So now I throw some into my breakfast bowl. Specifically, half…
Half a Bowl of Fruit
For the past week, I’ve made sure that half my plate at every meal, not just breakfast, is fruits and veggies. A banana is an easy addition to cereal, although freeze-dried raspberries are fun too.
Goat Milk Yoghurt
So many (cow) dairy products are loaded with hormones, which is key to avoid when going into IVF. I love goat cheese, so decided to try its yoghurt a couple of months ago. I love it! It does taste a little different, but it’s delicious. There are no synthetic hormones for goat milk production, so whatever brand you buy you can be certain that it will be hormone-free. I like the Redwood Hill brand, as it’s also certified humane.
Homemade Granola
My MIL makes a terrific homemade granola that has no added sugar. She takes this recipe, but leaves out the coconut, adds pumpkin seeds and buckwheat groats, and substitutes dried cranberries (sweetened with orange juice) for the raisins.
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After only one week of eating breakfast, I’m waking up hungry. I wish I could say I’ve been pooping like a trooper, but I think the lack of caffeine has slowed me down, bah! Still, I’m feeling less antsy and my skin is clearer and, according to my best friend whom I Skyped with last night, my eyes look clearer too. Hopefully my external brightening reflects my egg quality…
I am a HUGE breakfast fan. I eat a good, balanced breakfast every, single day, without fail. Usually a big bowl of steel cut oats with honey and berries, or a hard boiled egg with high fibre cereal and a small bowl of fruit. And tea- caffeine-free for me as well. I gave up coffee just recently- after having that horrible stomach bug, I couldn’t stand the taste or smell of it anymore. I’m probably better off for it, but I tell you- I have NEVER had headaches like I did in those first few caffeine-free days. I thought I was having a stroke or something!
I must try to the goat’s milk yogurt- it sounds delish!
Oh, caffeine-withdrawal headaches are the worst! I used to get a splitting headache that even a paracetamol-codeine wouldn’t get rid of — the only cure was a cup of coffee! That was a few years ago, so I decided to do 50/50 regular/decaf. It definitely helped wean me…
So impressed that you are a breakfast person *and* able to zip around making such fabulous breakfasts! Do try goat yoghurt if you can find it. It’s so good with granola!
I am the same way about breakfast! I can only eat after I’ve been up a few hours, though I have been working on this in the interest of losing weight. My new favourite is a quinoa breakfast bowl with a touch of brown sugar, bananas, sunflower seed butter, blue berries, strawberries, and coconut milk. Yum yum yum. My partner has been adding chia seeds to everything as well and it does wonders for… um, movement – if you catch my drift, lots of fiber and it releases a gel-like substance that helps lubricate the bowels. The acai juice looks delish!
OMG, that sounds D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S — I must try it! Off to find some chia seeds… I got some moves, but a little extra help never hurts :)