I’m not here to tell you why you should eat breakfast. Hopefully your parents covered that. But… at the same time, one of my favorite things is to see you–yes you!–remake my recipes and post them on Instagram, saying that it was the best breakfast you’ve ever had in your life, and how your world suddenly has new colors, and your belly is happy, and your skin is glowing. That’s the kind of stuff that makes me go all-out with emojis.

Basically, my mission is to not only make you drool and pin, but–most importantly–to inspire you and give you the tools to get creative in your own kitchen. Since I’m only a passionately knowledgeable amateur, I decided to recruit a functional medicine nutrition expert to answer some of your most burning nutrition questions. If you think it’s about to get scientific and boring, hold your horses and don’t close the window just yet. Trust me, Klara Mudge of Both Sides Buttered is like no other nutritionist you’ve ever met.

Klara is an NYC-based, London-educated Namibian who I met at a Strala Yoga teacher training. She knows about the science of nutrition and health more than 99% of the population, yet her message is fun (can you believe it?!), actionable, and digestible (in every way possible). So to kick off her guest series for Breakfast Criminals, Buttered Bandits, I asked her to share her thoughts on the best thing in the world, aka breakfast.

Here it goes!

“Kay fine, let’s talk about Breakfast.

I didn’t want to open a can of boiled beans on a somewhat controversial topic but my ever graceful whiz-­‐warrior of Breakfast Criminals asked for my Op-­in-­Yawn on the actual health benefits of brekkie, and when Ksenia says jump I say gotcha sister jus lemme finish this sun salutation while you fix me a hashtag heartbowl. And here we are.

SO the 3 biggest reasons why a balanced breakfast wins:

1. It makes you a nicer person.

Ever cursed some pretty remarkable obscenities at harmless objects and/or innocent people? Do you sometimes find it super hard to concentrate on the most simple tasks? Ever felt like you had the patience and emotional intelligence of a tired 3-­year old? I feel ya. It’s because our blood sugar took a nose dive. And if your glucose tank runs on empty, your brain struggles for fuel and stalls and jerks. Pissed-­off brain equals hangry hulk form helltown.

While you were sleeping you weren’t eating (except if you were dreaming of that caramel au beurre salé crepe at West Country Girl in Paris). So that’s about 6-­8 hours of fasting. No problemo. But then you wake up from rest & digest mode and your brain starts going at the speed of light for you to safely shower and cross the street and politely order your coffee and make adult life decisions all day until tonight when you hit your pillow again.

Here’s a way fun fact: our brains use up to 60% of our whole body’s energy supply, when we’re at rest (that’s a lot of calories spent on thinking) And here’s more: your brain lacks its own fuel stores, so it needs a constant supply of glucose to be coming in at a nice steady pace. The liver and muscles are generous when we sleep, sharing their unused glucose with the brain but if you stretch out the fasting mode for too long once awake, you increase your chances of messing with your mood and making shitty decisions (grabbing high-­processed-­carby baked ‘goods’ or a quick-­fix sugar rush solution that comes in a wrapper).

There are no rules. Only guidelines and experiments. Find your own way.

Don’t blame you, it’s almost an involuntary reflex to low blood sugar. But what goes up must come down, and come down you will. Enter the all day blood-­sugar rollercoaster of fasting-­followed-­by­-overeating-­followed-­by-­over-­excercing-­followed-­by-­late-night-­snacking.

2. Reason number 2 to wake-­’n-­break: It can help you effortlessly manage, or find, your ideal weight.

Starting the day with a balanced meal (a good ratio of protein vs. low GI carbs) gently wakes up your metabolism and says “Word. We’re starting the engine here, this kinda good fuel will be coming in all day so burn away! Run all pistons! Hoot hooot!” Eating fills your stomach and makes you happy (something about evolution), allowing you to get on with life. Protein and fats in your brekkie slow down the digestion and release of glucose in the bloodstream, allowing for that desirable steady glucose delivery to the brain (see reason 1 above). Happy brain equals clever healthy food choices and a good mood for acts of self-­care.

3. Hold on tight for this one: We need food.

You are made up of thousands of trillions of nutrients. Your muscles and heart are all protein, your eyes have a shitload of antioxidants in them, your hormones are cholesterol-­based (you heard me!), your bones are made up of intricate matrices of minerals and every single one of your cells have a layer of fat in their walls that allow for effective cell communication and longevity. Where do you get these building blocks from dear creature? You eat them. So logic tells me that I can’t afford to be skipping meals and depriving my organs of the essential ingredients they need to be the best badass. I see breakfast as a legit opportunity to optimize my short-­and long-­term health, like a calm, nutritious head start before the storm. How many vitamins and minerals and protein and fibre can I squeeze into this momentous breaking-­of-­the-­fast?

Now for some fine-­-print:

1. There is an additional reason why I like breakfast: I’ve recently started being more mindful in general and had a very successful 2 week trial period of quietly easing into my day (as opposed to grabbing my not-­so-­smart-­phone for senseless scrolling and then rushing frantically into a day that already started without me). So preparing and eating breakfast became a 20min daily dedicated me-­time. I very highly suggest everyone with a brain and a life try it, or a similar low-­tech, high-­nutrient version of it.
2. Coffee alone is not breakfast. Nor is just a croissant. When I say ‘breakfast’ I’m referring to a meal that has a good amount of protein (eggs, nuts, beans, milk, dairy or non-­dairy yoghurt, quinoa, lentils, tofu), some fat (ghee, olive oil, nut butter, chia seeds, any nuts or seeds) and a bit of complex, not-­processed carbs (steel-­cut non-­instant oats, high-­fibre fruit, brown rice, sweet potato) and some power nutrients like super-­healthy berries, greens and superfoods (enter Breakfast Criminals).
3. Some people feel worse after breakfast. Possibly they’re overdoing it or eating something that they’re intolerant too (e.g gluten, dairy, preservatives). An elimination diet might be uselful here.
4. Don’t ever force-­feed yourself. If the thought of chewing first thing in the morning gives you a gag-­reflex then, please for g’s sake don’t make a cheese-­omelette and force feed it to your face. Have a few sips of a smoothie. Or a few walnuts and some apple slices . Or leftover steak. Or a heartbowl (wink. But also serious) Just have summin!
5. There is research to back the benefits of doing your early-­morning workout on an empty stomach but replenishing within an hour of exercise is essential if you want to reap the benefits of your sweat-­session.
6. There are no rules. Only guidelines and experiments. Find your own way.

Here are 3 lip-smacking recipes from www.breakfastcriminals.com that are  packed tight-to-the-brim with all kinds of bangin’ nutrients PLUS plenty of protein for sustained satiety. Try them out!