By Judy Davie
“Can you suggest some easy protein-based hot breakfasts that my daughter can prepare herself with little effort, that taste great, excluding porridge and eggs? Some simple food to pop in the oven would be good. My daughter is a hairdresser and sometimes doesn’t get lunch till 2, 3 or 4pm.”
Regardless of what your daughter eats at breakfast, she should try to eat something no later than four hours after her last meal. Nuts, a great mid-meal snack are easy to transport. Raw nuts such as almonds are the best. They provide fibre, energy from their good fat content and are also a reasonably good source of protein.
If your daughter doesn’t like eggs, you could make a scrambled tofu by using a soft tofu. Simply heat a very small amount of oil in a pan, sauté a few chopped veggies such as capsicum and onion and add the tofu, stirring with a wooden spoon. Flavour it with a dash of tamari sauce and serve it on wholegrain toast.
Baked beans on toast are another great low GI protein food. When the beans are combined with the grain they complete all eight essential amino acids that make a complete protein. It’s a filling, well-balanced high fibre meal — even better when you add some veggies like tomato and mushrooms.
Cottage cheese is another good low fat protein food and served again with wholegrain toast, avocado and cottage cheese.
A popular breakfast in the northern hemisphere is fish: grilled kippers, sardines, herring grilled and served with grain bread — another great protein and terrific source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Smoked salmon on grain bread with avocado and tomatoes is also good but should be eaten in moderation due to its high salt content.
Milk is a great source of protein and low fat milk and yoghurt made into a smoothie with fresh fruit, a tablespoon of flax seed oil and some seeds is one of the healthiest starts to the day. If she doesn’t like oats, you could make up semolina with low fat milk sweetened with honey, dried fruit and nuts for extra fibre. Semolina is low GI and will provide a slow and steady supply of energy for the morning.
Regardless of all that, you should encourage your daughter to make sure she snacks on something three hours after breakfast — nuts, a few dried apricots, an apple or other piece of fruit, a small 30g block of cheese or some hummus dip with a couple of grain crackers are some of my favourites.
“I notice in your seven day diet plan on the website you begin each day with a glass of warm water and lemon juice. What are the benefits of this?”
Starting the day with warm water and lemon juice helps to stimulate the digestive system in preparation for the first meal of the day, breakfast. It also kick starts the metabolism and boosts your energy levels. It may stimulate the bowel, and acts as a gentle detoxifier. You should use boiling water, approx 350ml with the juice of half a lemon and leave it until it’s cooled sufficiently to drink. Don’t use any more than half a lemon as too much acetic acid can affect the enamel of your teeth.
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