You have probably seen the advertisement on the television promoting the importance of breakfast for kids to help them perform better at school. Well, what about the adult portion of the population.

Breakfast should be a priority on everybody’s list. It actually sets you up for the day and promotes short-term memory, energy and vitality, mental and physical alertness, focus and concentration, lower levels of stress and a healthier body weight.

So what makes a good breakfast? Carbohydrates should be an integral part of any breakfast as the body breaks these down and turns it into glucose. Glucose provides your brain, nerves and red blood cells with the energy they require to function properly. If the morning dose of carbohydrates is not provided then your brain, nerves and red blood cells are starved of their vital energy source and your performance levels during the day are greatly reduced.

A good breakfast could be Bircher style muesli, boiled eggs and wholegrain toast, a fruit shake with yoghurt and honey, omelette with mushrooms and tomato, raisin toast with honey and fruit or whole grain cereal with fruit. Wherever possible always try and use low fat milk and yoghurt and fresh fruit.

Some people think they do not have time for a good meal at the start of the day but there are some simple things you can do to hasten the process. Prepare a bowl of muesli with milk the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. This also allows the multitude of flavours to blend through the mix while softening the ingredients. It tastes great. A bowl of wholegrain cereal is very quick and simple to prepare. If you still think you are pushed for time you could try getting out of bed 10 minutes earlier.

Eat breakfast, feel the improvements and perform at a higher level during your day.