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This post is an installment in our 52 Health Hinges series. Remember, “Small hinges swing big doors.”

Coffee and a muffin (aka an adult cupcake) don’t cut it, sorry. A bowl of cereal, banana with nut butter, or a cup of yogurt? You can do better.

A balanced, nutrient-dense breakfast truly is your most important meal. Eaten within 45 minutes of waking, it helps set your mood, energy level, and metabolic rate for the day. Skimping on or skipping breakfast slows your metabolism and can cause sluggishness, brain fog, and lethargy, even if a healthful lunch is eaten (and lots of coffee consumed).

And eating a healthful breakfast can significantly help with weight loss. Yes, it’s true!

“But I’m not hungry in the morning.” This is likely a sign that your adrenal glands need support, as adrenal dysfunction can suppress morning appetite. Eating breakfast helps the body regulate the important 24-hour cortisol cycle. Overproduction of cortisol (a hormone made by the adrenal glands) can make you put on belly fat and can keep you from a good night’s sleep. Do you wake at night? Believe it or not, eating a good breakfast can very likely help you sleep more soundly.

To build a breakfast with real staying power, you need plenty of protein and fat, not a carbohydrate-loaded, grain- or flour-based gut bomb that destabilizes blood sugar, makes you crash an hour later, leaves you famished and cranky well before lunch, and can have a negative impact on the rest of your day.

Yep, breakfast is that important. So make it as power-packed and delicious as possible. And filling. Many make the mistake of eating just enough to take the edge off, but you’ll soon see how sitting down (but not in the car!) to a well-rounded, healthful morning meal will benefit you in more ways than you could have imagined.

Stuck in an unhealthy breakfast rut? Here are some ideas:

(Keep in mind that these suggestions don’t take into consideration food sensitivities/intolerances, so please make the necessary adjustments for your particular needs. At Healthful Elements, we always suggest gluten-free foods.)

• Scrambled eggs and low-glycemic fruit (high glycemic fruits tend to be tropical: banana, mango, pineapple, etc.; low- to moderate- glycemic: berries (the lowest), apple, pear, citrus)
• Omelet with leftover vegetables and a little cheese or avocado
• Think outside the (cereal) box and go with last night’s dinner leftovers
• Breakfast burrito on sprouted or whole grain tortilla with eggs and vegetables of your choice – leftover veggies are great (burritos are very easy to make ahead and freeze)
• A green smoothie (dark leafy greens of your choice) with berries, ground flax, nuts or nut butter and/or protein powder, and nut or coconut milk
• Jill G.’s all-time favorite breakfast: Mashed sweet potatoes with ghee, topped with roasted Brussels sprouts and pastured sausage (very easy to make if veggies are chopped the night before)
• Hot, whole grain cereal (oats, millet, quinoa, or brown rice) with coconut milk, berries, cinnamon, and plenty of seeds and nuts or swirls of nut butter (pureed pumpkin is a great addition too)

Lastly, our favorite breakfast porridge:

1 tablespoon each of the following: ground flax, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, cacao nibs or powder*, hemp seeds, coconut flakes

Soak all for at least 10 min. in your favorite milk – we prefer nut or coconut milk. Top with fruit of your choice and nuts.

* You may want to experiment with the amount of cacao, as it can be a stimulant for many people.

To learn more, including not only additional information about incorporating all macronutrients (carb/fat/protein) into your breakfast (for optimal blood sugar balancing), but also some additional breakfast ideas, please read Jill G.’s Be a Breakfast Believer post on the Experience Life magazine blog.