Ultimate Oil Blend Brand Ambassador David Gillick shares his breakfast tips.

Breakfast is the meal a lot of people struggle with. Whether it’s a timing issue for you or you simply don’t feel like eating first thing in the morning. Let's hear what Udo's Oil Brand Ambassador, David Gillick has to say...

It’s a habit that’s worth breaking. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. You have been asleep for the last 6-8 hours; no food has been consumed during these hours so in essence you have been fasting, now it’s time to break that fast with a nutritiously balanced meal. If you dodge breakfast, the next meal may not be until lunch, resulting in starving yourself for nearly 13 hours.

Skipping breakfast will have an effect on your energy, productivity, mood and potential your weight.

Eating in the morning releases chemicals to the brain and can also steady glucose levels throughout the day. A recent study from the University of Missouri found that having breakfast, particularly dishes high in protein, increased levels of dopamine (a brain chemical responsible for moderating impulses and reward), which may reduce food cravings and overeating later in the day.

Eating initiates a release of this neuro-hormone, which then triggers feelings of reward. That reward response is what helps people regulate to how much they munch down.

When speaking to one nutritionist he described skipping breakfast as the sumo diet. Basically you are tricking your body into thinking you are starving it, therefore the next meal you consume your body stores it all as it doesn’t think it will get another meal for the next 8 hours. By storing the food, the body doesn’t use it properly and effectively. This can lead to a host of health problems.

Always aim for a balanced breakfast which includes a good source of protein, slow release carbohydrates and a portion of fruit or vegetables.

Common mistakes:

>> Skipping breakfast altogether

>> Eating a high sugar boxed cereal

>> Eating a breakfast bar

>> Carbohydrate on carbohydrate (e.g. Jam on bread)

>> No fruit or Veg

>> No protein or healthy fats

>> High sugar smoothie

David Gillick's Udo's Morning Smoothie

(image of David Gillick's Udo's Morning Smoothie)

Ingredients

150ml Unsweetened Almond milk
50ml water
3 Tablespoons of Ultimate Oil Blend
1-2 Scoops of One Nutrition Power Greens
Cucumber
1 Beetroot
1 Handful mixed fresh or frozen berries
30g Uncooked porridge oats

Method

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for about 20-30 seconds until smooth.

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Udo's Oil is available from €14.99 in Health Stores, Pharmacies and online.