Just Julies' guide to a healthy breakfast

WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO A HEALTHY BREAKFAST?

Here’s the elevator pitch: A healthy breakfast gives your body crucial nutrients and the energy you’ll need to get through the morning without looking back.

Most of us wake after being in sleep mode 6 to 8 hours. It’s crucial to feed the furnace to get the machinery pumping again, after a necessary period of mental and biological repair and rejuvenation.

The first and most obvious rule. Eat breakfast everyday. For most morning people breakfast is non-negotiable, but others pretty much have to will themselves to eat. Even if food seems like the last thing you want first thing in the morning, breakfast is something you can train your body to crave (or at least accept graciously). Why this is important, is that breakfast kick-starts your metabolism. Skip it, and your metabolism slows way down to conserve energy. The right nutritious, high-fiber foods let your metabolism run at a more elevated pace, giving you lots more energy.

It’s not just about energy. According to scientists, eating food containing slow-burning carbohydrates (also known as low-glycemic-index foods—oatmeal and other porridges or whole-grain bread) instead of quicker-burning, high-glycemic-index foods (sugary cereals, refined-flour pastries and bread) gives you better concentration all morning. Slow-burning carbs also contain essential vitamins and minerals.