Breakfast they say is the best meal of the day because you are awake to digest the food, burn it off and of course feel energised and sustained throughout the day.
So we asked our Head Chef Ben Horne what his top tips were around starting and sustaining the day well via good food and nutrition.
He Says, “Never have coffee or tea on an empty stomach and avoid having too much fruit juice. Instead have the whole piece of fruit. Fruit juice is simple sugars (fructose) in a concentrated form so easy to overdose on your daily allowance.”
He goes on to say, “eat fruit first before coffee or a bigger breakfast – this initiates the digestive process in your belly with simple carbohydrates. Banana is best as it has a good mix of carbs and is easily digested.”
Did you know that if you have coffee or tea (caffeine) before breakfast it spikes your blood sugar levels? This makes your body release insulin which is then stored as fat around your mid-rift.
If you need that kick-start in the morning Ben recommends trying “a banana dipped in chia seeds or a veggie juice”. Try a liver cleansing juice of;
- Beetroot, 1/2 bulb
- Carrot, x 1
- Ginger, small knob
- Blueberries, small handful
- Parsley, small handful
- Coconut water, to top up the glass
Serves 1.
Perfect if you have over-indulged the night before to get your body back on track.
What kind of breakfast sustains you through to lunch?
He says “mixed grains i.e. chia, teff, quinoa and, some activated nuts and seeds making them more easily digested, putting less loading on your digestive system.”
Here is one of Ben’s favourite breakfast recipes.
Supercharged, 3-acient grain, summer berry pudding
(Refined Sugar free, dairy free, gluten free and vegan.)
The 3 ancient grains are un-modified and have a very high protein profile making, the volume of food that you eat, more highly digestible (assimilated). This means that your body can ‘slow-release’ the energy provided by the nutrients, all whilst supporting the healthy repair of muscles and cells. Great for when you have a big day ahead of you and you need to sustain physical and mental activity.
Ingredients
Pudding base
- 1 cup of teff grain
- 2 cups of quinoa
- 9 x dates pitted
- 1/2 cup inca or goji berries
- 1 x tbls cinnamon
- 1 x tbls vanilla
- 5 x 350 gram tins coconut milk
- 2 x 350 grams coconut cream
- 1 x ltr coconut water
- 2 tsp Himalayan rock salt
- 1/2 cup flax seed (golden or brown)
Berry chia jam filling
- 500 gram mixed frozen berries – thawed retaining the berry juice
- 125 grams chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla
Coconut ‘Chantilly’ cream
- 1 tin coconut cream chilled
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbls coconut syrup / maple syrup / or sub out for mashed banana for increased serotonin (feel good hormone) release and, increased potassium intake to help with cognitive brain function.
Method
Wash grains and add all ingredients into a pan. Bring gently to the boil, stirring constantly, gently simmer 20 – 25mins until the grains are tender and soft. Add water if the mixture becomes too thick, NB: the mixture should be a runny porridge consistency when warm. Set aside to rest 15mins with lid on.
Put into a bowl or glass filling 1/3 full the vessel and replace the lid on the pot (this prevents pudding from drying out and ‘skinning’).
Next, lightly mash the berries with all the ingredients for the jam. Note: once you mix the chia in it will start to set in 15 mins. Carefully spoon onto portioned pudding mix to make a 1 cms layer. Chill and then add the next layer of pudding and repeat with chia jam as many times as desired. Then chill again.
Leave some room at the top of the vessel for any fresh berries or try the whipped coconut ‘Chantilly’ cream by chilling a tin of coconut cream and open the tin without shaking it first so you can take the coconut solids from the top of the tin. Place into a large bowl and whisk until starting to thicken. Carefully add in the vanilla and sweetener of choice and fold through. Chill then add to the top of your pudding.
Want to work with Ben to help fortify your health with nutrition or, energise your day through good food? You can contact him here.