Break the Fast

Breakfast – Jumpstart Your Day!!

Studies have linked a healthy breakfast with less chronic disease, less obesity, increased mental performance, longevity and better health.

A good breakfast, can help both children and adults to be less irritable, more efficient and more energetic.

Breakfast helped children score higher on tests written before the noon break.  The steady influx of energy apparently stabilized glucose levels in the brain, improving mental function and attention span.   Adapted from Hans Dielh, Aileen Ludington, Health Power

According to experts, the internal environment of the brain is an integral part of learning, just as important as the classroom environment.

Nutrition and Learning

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:  Proverbs 1:5

Did you know?

Your brain is made up of 100,000,000,000 neurons.  A neuron is about the size of “.” a dot.  If you were to count 1 cell per second it will take you 3,171 years to finish counting.

Neurons drive our thinking, learning, moods and state of well being.  Neurons need nutrients: good fats, protein, complex carbohydrates, micronutrients – vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients – and water. These nutrients are used to drive the learning functions of neurons.

In some cases students are not able to learn due to poor nutrition or inadequate hydration. The brain is made up of 85% water and adequate water intake will increase attention and memory.

Eating a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your brain, help boost your productivity and focus throughout the morning.

Key brain boosters:

• Avocado: Oleic acid found in Avocados, olives, almonds and pecans helps increase Myelin (gray matter).  Myelin helps information travel at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.
• Lentils: provides protein, fiber and iron, which form healthy red blood cells that deliver oxygen to the brain. Iron is also helpful form dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is a key player in learning, mood and behavior.
• Whole Grains:  provides carbohydrates, which converts to glucose.  They also contain B vitamins, which boosts concentration and energy.
• Flax seed and Chia seed: are rich in brain-healthy fats.  They contain Omega-3 fatty acids that are directly used by the brain to build and protect neurons as well as Omega-6 fats, which are used to build healthy neurons.
• Almonds: and other nuts contain a high concentration of vitamin E, which improves plasticity of the brain – basically allowing the brain to learn faster.
• Oats: contains iron, zinc, potassium and B vitamins, nutrients that help brain development and help the brain to function at full capacity.
• Apples: are rich in quercetin, an antioxidant plant chemical that protects brain cells and helps to build your immune system.
• Folate found in chick pea, wheat germ, spinach, kelp, lettuce, and walnut helps to maintain healthy brain circulation by preventing the buildup of plaque, detoxify waste substances from the body and forms neurotransmitters needed for all thinking and learning.

Examples of healthy breakfast:

Breakfast Option 1

Fruit options (choose any one kind)
1/2 Pineapple, 1/2 papaya, 2 bananas, or 3 guavas

Hot Cereal options (choose any one)

Porridge:  oatmeal, cornmeal, rice or millet
Cooked in almond milk

Toppings

1 tablespoon Ground Flax seed, 1 tablespoon ground Chia seed
5 dates, raisins or cranberries

Healthy fats to eeat

Bread with natural nut butter or olive oil or
Raw dried coconut

Breakfast Option 2

Vegetables
5 Lettuce leaves
Steamed Broccoli

Carbohydrates
Corn or Brown rice

Protein
Lentils or Chickpea

7 Olives, chopped

Healthy fats to end
1 handful of Almond nuts or Walnuts