How to find time to eat breakfast every day

If you’re one of those people who insist “I just don’t have time for breakfast”, read on! The first hour of the day is often hectic for us office workers, especially those with a long commute or an early start.

It can be tempting to skip everything except the absolute essentials – but breakfast should definitely be on that list of “must dos”.

Breakfast can easily be the healthiest and quickest meal of the day. It takes only a minute or two to pour cereal and milk into a bowl, to grab a couple of pieces of fruit, or to pop bread in the toaster.

If the first thing you eat in the morning is a chocolate bar at 10am, try these tips to squeeze in breakfast-time:

• Set your alarm ten minutes earlier. And get up when it goes off!
• Stock up the cupboard. Quick time savers are:
  • Cereals with dried fruit, bran or nuts already added (eg. Fruit and fibre, muesli)
  • Sliced bread to pop straight into the toaster
  • Fruit which doesn’t need any peeling (apples, pears)
  • Ready-measured sachets of porridge oats
• Put everything ready the night before. Have the cereal box and bowl out on the side in the kitchen, or the plate ready by the toaster. If you like porridge, put the milk and oats in a large bowl in the fridge, which can go straight in the microwave in the morning.
• Sit down to breakfast at the table. Ideally, eat with a friend or family member; allow a few minutes to relax and chat about the day ahead.
• Don’t switch the television on. It’ll suck up your precious morning minutes. And do you really need a dose of bad news to start your day?

I’ve often heard people object that they’re just not hungry first thing in the mornings. This may well be the case, and is usually due to one of both of:

• They rarely or never eat breakfast, so their body doesn’t expect food at that time.
• They eat too much in the evening, and are still full from dinner the day before.

Try having slightly less at dinner time, and eat breakfast every day for a week (even if you don’t feel hungry). Notice the difference it makes to your appetite in the mornings! For more breakfast ideas, particularly if you have a long commute and have to eat on the go, have a look at the article on Breakfasts.

Alarm clock photo above by tony newell