Ok, both you and I are in a hurry, from the time we get up in the morning, the daily tasks at work, school, home, maybe even some social functions, fill up our days to the point where time is a luxury. We seem like we are always looking at the clock and getting ready for the next thing. Thankfully, one of your “Things” that you committed to was daily exercising. And you know your body needs fuel, not only for the exercise that you do but for all of the other little “Things” that make up your busy day.
That being said, I found myself getting up, (usually at the last minute, thanks to the snooze button) and heading right off to work, school or if you’re a Mom, getting everyone ready for their day which begins yours! You can tell from this, my workouts usually take place after my work day is done.
Sometimes we just grab whatever’s in the fridge or an apple or banana from the fruit bowl while heading for the door. If you’re like me, around 10:00 – 11:30, I found myself becoming a little, shall we say, less tolerant of others at the office? You see, that fast grab and go, whether it be that piece of fruit or that breakfast sandwich you grabbed on your way to work. It’s just not full of what you need to give you that “Full Feeling” let alone the protein you need to get you through your busy day.
Now, if you look above, you’ll see that the topic of this post is to get you to eat a bit of what’s “Right for you” nutrition wise. And I’m talking about eggs. Yep, you may have heard some news about how doctors, nutritionists are now changing their tune about eggs not being good for you.
Nutrition science has come a long way since the days of egg white omelets, and much of the traditional advice about saturated fat and cholesterol wasn’t based upon good science, to begin with.
Plus, while the American Heart Association used to recommend consuming no more than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol a day, they recently decided there’s not enough scientific evidence to stand by that suggestion. Experts now say that, yes, there’s cholesterol in eggs, but, contrary to what we’ve previously been told, dietary cholesterol doesn't seem to have much effect on blood cholesterol, the type that actually clogs your arteries, for the average person.
Getting back to not too much time in the morning start of your day. I was of the same mindset but I found that I was wrong. To make things easy, I’ve always liked eggs, but for some reason, I just can’t be bothered to make them on the weekdays because I’m too busy. At least that’s what I tell myself as I run out the door for work every morning.
So I decided it was time for a change, and that change would be eating eggs.
Why eggs? They’re the perfect little package. Not only are they protein-rich (about 7 grams each), but eggs, specifically the yolks, contain inflammation-fighting omega-3s; vitamins D, E, and B12; and minerals like selenium. Plus, just two eggs a day fulfills half of your daily needs for the memory boosting nutrient choline, which, recent studies show most Americans severely lack. And for the low cost of a dozen local organic eggs, $5 or less, there is no excuse not to make the switch.
Now I know there are people out there that will say eggs, especially having them every day will shorten your lifespan when you’re really working to increase it. Remember, you changed your lifestyle up so your exercising more and eating healthy, more leafy greens, avocados, and nutrient rich root plants, right? Well, like I said above, eggs have been found to be good for your diet. And as long as you are working out on a daily or at least 3-4 times a week basis, (And YOU ARE Right). Then you should have no issues with digesting these little white, protean packages on a regular basis.
The great thing about making eggs a staple in your morning starts is they are very versatile. You can put anything in them to change the whole makeup of the flavor, and stay with the healthy aspect. And to keep things quick, so you can get out the door in the morning, it not too hard to come up with some healthy items to incorporate into your egg-creations. When you're beginning to make your eggs and you want to up your nutrition levels, which isn’t hard to do with all the fresh or if it's out of season, frozen organic vegetables, that are now available at most food stores. You can change out your omelet of choice just about every day. For starters, adding some peas and frozen corn, to your egg mixture. Just add them to the skillet with a little butter before dropping those eggs in and giving it a brief quick mix. The verdict: peas and corn adds some fun texture and subtle sweetness while ramping up the fiber content. The next day, you can try this same combo plus some perfectly ripe avocados and cilantro on top, which should kick up the flavor and make it delicious. So, you can see you are now on your way to eating something that is packed with protein and with the added right veggies, has the right nutrients to keep you going throughout the day.
Even when you’re pressed for time in the morning (hitting the snooze button too many times?) You may find that there is still time to heat up a skillet and just scramble a few of these protein packed packages, without wasting any time at all. Just put on the skillet, add a little butter, and crack yourself three eggs, scrambling them right in the pan with a fork, no pre-whisking, no adding a splash of milk, no fancy anything. Just finish them with some salt and pepper, and guess what? You’re going to find that they are great tasting and without any muss or fuss! Just like normal scrambled eggs, but they were done in the amount of time it would have taken to make a Non-Healthy, instant oatmeal packet, which makes you wonder why you ever wasted time on those unnecessary steps before.
After doing this for a week, then a second week, you may find that you could skip your mid-morning snack! Which is a lot better than wolfing down a so-called “gourmet sandwich”, from a fast food chain. Or grabbing that apple or banana from a bowl, while heading out the door. Which has pretty much zero protein (or maybe a whopping 7 grams if you added a teaspoon of peanut butter), it wasn’t really surprising that you were probably looking for something to satisfy your hunger pains by 10 a.m. With this new egg routine, though, you will find that you are consuming at least 21 grams of protein every morning, and you’re going to be able to keep the hungry monster in your stomach quiet until around 11:30 or 12 p.m.
Not having to wonder what to make for breakfast or maybe doing without eating breakfast at all will help you to stay on point in your morning’s hustle and bustle, and eliminate any food guilt you may have experienced before. Plus, deciding to eat those eggs before you rush out the door pretty much will force you to sit down for at least 10 minutes each morning and eat, which will give you a few moments to relax and mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead.
So, why not give that little funny shaped, protein packed marble a try and see if your able to get through your day a little less irritable, because you now have what you need to keep you functioning the way you were meant to do.
Eggs, the other protein source.