Have you ever woke up bright-eyed at 7am only to find yourself falling back to sleep at 9am after breakfast? Do you crave sugar and/or caffeine around 11am and 4pm every day?

You might be eating the wrong breakfast.

Breakfast sets the tone for your whole day, and you’ve heard thousands of times that it’s the most important meal of the day. Guess what? It’s true.

I spend a lot of (expensive) time untangling food clichés, but this one is actually spot-on. The stuff you put in your body first thing is a good reflection of what you’ll eat – and how you’ll feel – for the rest of the day.
The clincher? There’s no perfect formula. Every single person requires a slightly different breakfast to function optimally. And that’s super cool, cause it means you’re a unique and special snowflake (wink).

BUT – and this is a big but(t) – I have noticed a pattern in my coaching practice, working with hundreds of clients and getting feedback on what’s actually working for them.

Most of them have heard that fruit, oatmeal, and smoothies are great healthy breakfast options, and although those foods are inherently healthy, it turns out they aren’t always such great morning options for about 75% of my clients – they were better off saving them as snacks.

Grains and fruits in the morning simply put most of them right back to sleep. When we shifted to protein breakfasts, specifically, eggs, we saw a big difference. Protein gives you a serious shot of energy in the morning, stabilizing blood sugar and energy to give you laser focus all morning until lunch rolls around.

What do you reach for in the morning? A smoothie? Omelet? Nothing at all? I want to hear from you – shoot me a note at lula@lulabrown.com or leave a comment below with your breakfast fave (or foe ­– after reading this little ditty).

Breakups are tough – I recommend keeping it simple and honest. Your smoothie or bowl ‘o oats will understand.

Speaking of oats – if you’re an oatmeal devotee but have been feeling super sleepy post-breakfast, I have a little swap for you this week – QUINOA! Break out the pom poms and pigtails cause I am a serious fan of this super seed (fun fact – it’s a seed, not a true grain). It’s protein-packed (a complete protein, actually), much lighter than oatmeal, and totally paleo-approved, if you’re into that type of thing.

This week, I have a fun project for you – experiment with breakfast to see what works for you:

Day 1: Try oatmeal with fruit and nuts. Note how you feel right after and a few hours later.

Day 2: Try eggs and vegetables and/or whole grain toast. Note how you feel right after and a few hours later.

Day 3: Rock a green smoothie, then make the same notes above. Pay attention to your energy levels.

Day 4: Test drive my simple quinoa.

Day 5; Try fruit with almond butter.

This is a super fun way to find out what breakfast(s) you actually enjoy, helps you feel your best, and gives you energy to show up fully at work, in your relationships, and most importantly, for yourself.

Let me know how it goes!

Simple Breakfast Quinoa

Ingredients
Serves 1

½ cup cooked quinoa
¾ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Seasonal fruit
Drizzle raw honey (optional)
Cinnamon
Pinch Himalayan salt

Method

Add quinoa, coconut milk, and salt to pot and bring to boil, then reduce and simmer for 5-7 minutes, until cooked soft. Top with chia seeds, fruit, honey, and cinnamon. You have so many options for toppings here – play with your favorites.

Photos: Jake Freeman