Why are you skipping breakfast?
Is it because you love to hit the snooze button on the alarm clock repeatedly? Maybe you’re trying to drop some weight before an important event.
Perhaps it is because you just can’t brain at that hour. It’s impossible to come up with good things to eat at the start of your day.
Whatever the reason for skipping the morning meal, you’re nutritionally starting your day at less than zero.
You see, you check out for the night, but your body doesn’t. It is busy the whole night through doing repair work and keeping you alive.
While you are off in dreamland, your body is maintaining all the functions you don’t have to think about. Your heart still pumps, and your lungs still breathe. All that and more, uses up whatever nutrition you have on hand.
A data analysis was performed in 2021. It indicated the old adage, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, has merit.
The analysis was made up of over 30,000 people. It showed that key nutrients, including vitamins A, B, C, D, calcium, and iron, are most abundant in the typical healthy foods eaten for breakfast.
The people in the analysis who skipped breakfast were not able to catch up with the recommended amounts of those necessary nutrients for the rest of the day.
Healthy breakfasts consist of complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, according to registered dietitian Asmita Batajoo, MS, RD. Lack of those nutrients can contribute to fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog.
As you have probably figured out, I love talking about health. It turns out so does my niece, Jordan Beaudoin.
My niece came across the idea of overnight oats and was trying out a recipe. It seemed that these recipes covered all the nutritional bases.
She is a college student who is in go-mode most of the time. A concern she has is losing weight. Additionally, finding time to make meals that are good for her can be challenging.
At 54, I am wending my way into menopause. The weight goes on easily, and it takes a lot of work to get rid of it at this time in my life.
We are recovering junk-food junkies. We look for ways to get the best nutrition without sacrificing taste. Overnight oats seemed like it could be a good fit for all our concerns.
We picked two different recipes. She went with one from Kristine’s Kitchen. I used Love and Lemons for mine.
(Photo by: Eileen Clarke)
Her choice started with oats, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. She added strawberries, blueberries, and grapes to it.
She stated that it was easy to make, only taking about 5 minutes to put together. The next day, it saved her time in the morning.
She was able to have a healthy breakfast and get to class on time. With the time saved with this breakfast, she might even get to sleep in a little later.
Overall, she liked the taste except for the vanilla. She felt it was very strong and overwhelmed all the other flavors. She intends to use less of it the next time she makes this recipe.
She noticed that she had less brain fog that day. She also noted that she went 4 hours without feeling hungry at all. On a typical day, she would have been hunting for a snack long before lunchtime.
Using the overnight oats as a regular breakfast option, she is already beginning to experience the scale moving in a positive direction.
To check out the overnight oats recipe my niece used, click on Easy Overnight Oats Recipe.
Most of my experience with my overnight oats was the same. It was super easy to put together, only taking a few minutes.
I started with oats, chia seeds, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, and unsweetened almond milk. I added cinnamon and ginger. I reserved the strawberries and blueberries until the morning when I was ready to eat.
I mixed the overnight oats in a sealable jar. It wasn’t much to look at. Sort of like a science project. I was seriously hoping that it would taste a lot better than it looked.
(Photo by: Eileen Clarke)
My husband, Aidan, always gets to be my recipe Guinea pig. This time was no different.
I took the jar out of the fridge, and we both looked at it. The science project look hadn’t gotten better. He decided he only wanted to taste a little bit of mine. That option was vetoed. No way was I doing this alone!
I dished it out into two bowls and topped each one with the blueberries and sliced strawberries. Now, it was a prettier, more colorful science project.
(Photo by: Eileen Clarke)
We both did the taste test at the same time and were pleasantly surprised. What a relief, it was yummy! We agreed that it needed the drizzle of maple syrup that the recipe called for, which I had forgotten. With that little addition, it was perfect.
I will admit that I am a texture person. Anything with an odd mouth feel is a no-go for me.
I had no problem with the texture of the overnight oats. It was like eating a cold cereal without the extreme crunch. The chia and yogurt kept it from feeling soggy or sloppy.
Now for the health aspects. My brain was perky throughout the day. No fog at all.
I also noticed that after my 3.5-mile walk, I was not hungry. I made it all the way to lunchtime without looking for a snack—a most definite win.
The jury is out on weight loss for the moment. I’ve only had this meal once. It will take a little longer to report on that aspect. I’ll circle back to it in another article.
If you want to follow the recipe I used, click on Overnight Oats. I like that Love and Lemons gives multiple options for add-ins. I think once you try a few of them, you’ll have fun coming up with some of your own.
If you are looking for a healthy way to start your day, overnight oats are a good way to go. They are easy to put together and will save you time in the morning.
You’ll be able to start your day with tasty options that give your body what it needs after fasting all night. Consider it a reward for all the work your body did while you were sleeping.
We’d love to hear about your experience with overnight oats and the recipes you like. Share in the comments!
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