How to Boost Your Energy Levels with Breakfast

If you rely on strong black coffee to get you up in the morning, and more to I keep going until lunchtime, it may be time for a change.

Caffeine gives you a temporary lift, but too much lowers energy and raises anxiety and stress levels; and a huge body of research shows that by skipping breakfast you set yourself up for a mid-morning energy slump and put yourself at a distinct disadvantage compared with your breakfast-eating friends and colleagues. Eating a proper breakfast not only boosts your energy levels, it boosts your brain power too, and this is proven by performance in physical and mental tests. Breakfast eaters have better concentration, better memories and better moods than breakfast skippers. And they are slimmer.

The message is clear: make time for breakfast. If you can’t face it first thing in the morning, postpone it for an hour or so to give sluggish systems time to get going and get your digestive juices flowing.

Of course what you eat is as important as when you eat it. To beat the mid-morning blues – and munchies – you are best going for foods such as cereals, which release energy slowly into the bloodstream. A bowl of your favourite cereal with semi-skimmed milk, plus some fresh fruit and yogurt, all washed down with a glass of fruit juice, makes a good quick breakfast that will keep you going until lunchtime. If you have more time, try porridge with raisins, honey and toasted sesame seeds, or whisk up a health-giving and power-packed smoothie in your blender: the combination of linseed, yogurt, milk, tofu and blueberries is especially beneficial for women, or try a simple mix of seasonal fruits, for example banana, peach and apple, blended together with milk. The combinations and permutations are endless – and there are some excellent recipe books to choose from. If it’s breakfast on the move or in the office, a cereal bar and a piece of fruit are one of the best alternatives.

A word about caffeine… If there’s nothing you enjoy more than a good cuppa or cappuccino, then go ahead and enjoy. They will do you more good than harm, and tea in particular contains powerful antioxidants that protect against heart disease and cancer, among other things. To release these, tea must be steeped for at least three minutes, and is best drunk black. However, any benefits of caffeine are associated with a consumption equivalent of up to three cups of coffee (filtered) a day, or about six cups of tea. So cut out all the mindless cups of tea and coffee that you have out of habit rather than enjoyment, and avoid drinking tea at meal times as it can interfere with iron absorption.