Photo by Chris Ralston on Unsplash

I hosted a podcast called Health Matters where I interviewed leading health experts.

Julie Endl is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and received her certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City.

As a health coach, Julie works alongside you offering you motivation, support, accountability and education to help you reach your wellness goals. She has a passion for wellness and helping others to reach their optimal health.

What does it mean to eat a nutritionally dense breakfast?

“When we talk nutritionally dense breakfast we want to make sure that we are eating whole food. Sometimes you might hear that explained as clean eating to start off your day.

“Usually a nutritionally clean breakfast would start you off with something like whole foods. Whole food would be nothing processed; nothing in a box. Something God put on this earth in its simplest form. (For example, an egg).

So when we talk nutritionally dense, we want to make sure it’s a whole food and that we are preparing it with the idea that it includes fibre, plus protein, plus healthy fat. Finding those foods that would fit that kind of recipe for getting you started off healthy.

“I like to make a smoothie that would be nutritionally dense. I pack it with nut milk; I use almond milk. I’d put spinach in it, so there’s lots of fibre — really good nutrition in spinach.

It’s simple food. Then I would add some berries; low sugar, low glycemic berries. I might throw half of an avocado in there, some protein powder and then some other superfoods like chia seeds or flax seeds.

So we’re really packing that full of nutrition. And then some ice to make it nice and chilly and cold. It’s a simple way to blend up in a breakfast, especially if you need something quick to go out the door.”

Why do we need to eat a healthy breakfast?

“The reason we need to eat a healthy breakfast is that it reduces your hunger throughout the day which may make it easier to avoid overeating.

“For instance, if you skip breakfast, you may feel ravenous later and then you’re tempted to reach for that quick fix. For instance, maybe at your office, they have a vending machine or someone brings in donuts to celebrate someone’s birthday, or a cake or something.

So it just avoids that overeating. We want to reduce our hunger. What we’re trying to do with eating a nutritionally dense breakfast is to set yourself up for success for the rest of the day. If you skip breakfast you start making some bad choices throughout the day.

“It keeps you on track. People who eat a healthy breakfast tend to eat a healthier overall diet; one that’s more nutritious. In contrast, people who like to skip breakfast may be more likely to skip fruit and vegetables throughout the day.

“A healthy breakfast also helps you sustain your energy. Can you imagine skipping breakfast and then trying to go to a meeting or run a conference or anything like that? It helps you have energy and brainpower. It gives you that energy to fuel your body. It gives your muscles the energy they need too.

“Skipping breakfast is also associated with decreased physical activity. You’re going to feel more sluggish and have less energy. So it’s really important. You’ve heard that it’s the most important meal of the day and it really is.

What would you say to the people that don’t like breakfast?

“In my coaching practice, that’s one of the things that I feel is really important. What works for one person may not work for another person. Now some people might not eat breakfast until ten o’clock and that’s okay. That’s their breakfast time. That’s how their body works the best. And that’s something that you really need to do.

“Find out what works best for your body; what keeps you fuller the longest. So basically what you do is for 7 days you eat a different breakfast and then you see in two hours or one hour after that how hungry you are. You need to find out what works best for your body, for your little machine you got there.

What are good substitutions for a healthy and nutritional breakfast?

“I have some swap-outs. I work with clients and we really try to take what they’re currently eating and just try to tweak it a little bit to try to get more nutrition.

“For instance, I don’t know if you have where you live, but I have where you can buy packaged little oatmeal packets that come 10–12 in a box. You just add water, and put warm water on it, however, you would do that and you have breakfast oatmeal. You can tweak that and do steel-cut oats, you can do overnight oats, quinoa cereal, or chia pudding.

“Maybe you would like a protein bar or a breakfast bar. You grab that in the morning. So we’re going to try to tweak that and we’re going to have a smoothie instead.”

Since talking with Julie, I stopped the habit of eating breakfast the moment I awoke whether I felt hungry or not. Now I listen to my body and wait until I actually feel hungry. I also stopped eating sugary boxed cereals and instead choose nutritionally dense food like boiled eggs and smoothies.

Although the podcast is no longer available, if you’d like a copy of any of the full interview transcripts, please send me an email.

This has been an excerpt from the Health Matters Podcast, believing that prayer & Bible study are to the spirit what exercise and healthy eating are to the body.

Blessings on your journey to health.

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