Breakfast has long been considered the “most important meal of the day,” mostly because of its metabolic effect on the body. Well, if you’re going to eat breakfast, why not power it up and make it the most beneficial possible? Here are 10 things that you should add to your morning routine to kick-start your energy and power up the day:

Coffee

While there’s a bit of controversy over whether or not coffee is good for you. I believe that, prepared properly, it’s very beneficial. Here’s why, and I’ll get into how to prepare it later:

There’s no doubt that the caffeine in coffee increases your energy levels and helps you feel more awake, but once absorbed into the blood stream it blocks the neurotransmitter adenosine which causes your body to release norepinephrine and dopamine leading to an enhanced firing of neurons. The effects are enhanced mood, memory, reaction time, and cognitive thinking. Plus, drinking coffee in the mornings can boost your metabolic rate anywhere from 3 – 11%, depending on your fitness level, meaning your body will be burning more fat throughout the day.

The Caffeine in coffee releases the hormone Epinephrine, the “fight or flight” hormone, which will aid in any physical performance activity. So drinking coffee before your workout will help you get more out of it.

There are scientific studies that show that people who drink coffee regularly have up to a 50% less chance of developing type II diabetes. Though the scientist are not exactly sure why.

Butter

Again there’s a bit of controversy here, but here’s why I think it’s an important part of your morning routine.

Conjugated linoleic acid, otherwise known as CLA, is a powerful fatty acid that has been shown to prevent cancer. Butter has a ton of it.

Butter is 4% butyrate, a 4-carbon fatty acid that increases energy production and reduces food cravings, helping you burn more fat.

Butter contains vitamin K2, and unfortunately almost 98% of Americans don’t get nearly enough of this important nutrient in their diet. The benefits of K2 are still being researched but current information shows that it aids in the reduction of inflammation, one of the leading causes of pain and disease in America.

Coconut oil

This superfood is becoming more and more popular for one simple reason, it’s extraordinarily healthy! Every day more research is coming out proving just how good coconut oil is for the body and mind.

And the reason it’s so healthy for you are the caprylic, lauric, and the capric acids. Three medium-chain fatty acids that do amazing things for the body. Things like preventing Alzheimer’s disease, preventing heart disease and high blood pressure, cure UTIs and kidney infections, protects the liver, reduces inflammation, and help fight bacterial and viral infections.

Turmeric

Used for hundreds of years in India as a medicinal herb and cooking spice, modern scientists are finally discovering what much of the world has known for a long time. Turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help the body fight disease.

Cinnamon

Like turmeric, cinnamon has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. But in addition, it helps the body to regulate insulin, lowering your blood sugar levels and helping prevent diabetes.

Cinnamon also carries anti-viral properties that are currently being researched to help fight HIV.

Cocoa

I’m not talking about a Nestle chocolate bar here, but pure, unsweetened cocoa. New research is showing that, along with being high in fiber, eating cocoa releases endorphins and serotonin, both of which are responsible for making you feel really good.

Bananas

While being extremely delicious, bananas carry a plethora of nutrients that helps your body function better, regulate blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and burn fat.

Berries

Packed with antioxidants, vitamins, mineral, and fiber, berries increase your nitric oxide levels which helps relax your blood vessels, lowering your blood pressure and improving blood flow. This in turn helps your body deliver all the vital nutrients that you just consumed throughout your body.

Greek yogurt

Being high in potassium, zinc, calcium, B12, and B6, Greek yogurt contain almost twice the protein and probiotics of regular yogurt which aids in digestion and helps build muscle, causing a fat-burning metabolism spike.

Blender

I believe that at least one meal per day should come from the blender. But there are two main reasons why I like to use a blender in the morning:

1. It’s fast. You don’t have to spend a lot of time preparing or eating. Just throw all your ingredients in, turn it on, and drink. The entire breakfast process can be done in under 10 minutes, and that includes cleanup!
2. Blending your food pre-digests it allowing for better absorption in the body, allowing you to use 100% of the nutrients immediately.

Put it all together

Breakfast should be simple, healthy, and delicious, so here’s what I do. Feel free to let me know how it works for you.

1. Mix your coffee, butter, coconut oil, cinnamon, and cocoa in a blender. Combining these ingredients specifically enhances all of their benefits, increasing your cognitive processing and powering up your metabolism. And it’s quite delicious!
2. Pulverize your bananas, berries, Greek yogurt, turmeric, and more coconut oil in the blender for at least 90 seconds to unlock their amazing powers.

(source 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)

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