by Jada-Virginia Surpin
As a university student, I am aware that many of my peers struggle to make time for a good measure of food and sleep- two essential factors in our health which I rarely compromise. Growing up with a Nutritional Therapist mum and a wise Dad insistent that I not let school impact my health, I haven’t had too much trouble fitting fresh meals and 8 hours of sleep into my day as a student. For this reason, I have decided to share my favourite breakfast to help restore breakfast (THG comment: not everyone needs to eat breakfast. You can do just as well on 2 meals a day. Whatever you decide leave a gap of 5 hours between meals (no snacks!) and 12 overnight where possible), the most neglected meal of the day, in the routine of a typical student
This recipe takes me approximately 10-15 minutes to completely prepare, so I can make time for it no matter how busy my morning (THG comment: you can prepare the night before and leave to soak in the fridge ready to either be heated up the next morning or eaten raw). I use it every day in exam season and on most lecture days, for me it’s the best way to stock up my brain for studying and will keep me going until the afternoon if need be.
For this recipe, You Will Need:
- 1-1.5 cups of porridge oats (organic where possible as the oats are less processed)
- 100-200ml of boiling water
- 1 sliced banana (THG comment: or berries if you prefer a lower carb option)
- A handful of chopped nuts
- Two tablespoons of chia seeds
- A teaspoon of Chicory coffee powder (optional)
- 5 cups of plant-based milk
- Start off by bringing the desired amount of water to the boil
- Once you have poured the water on your oats, you may wish to add a tsp of sweetener such as honey. Although I recommend skipping this step all together
- Now is the time to go crazy! Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chia seeds directly on the boiling porridge and mix in well, chop up a handful of brazil nuts and almonds, sprinkle on a liberal amount of cinnamon (THG comment: cinnamon helps to balance blood sugar and garnish with chopped banana (or berries)
- At this point, I like to add any vitamin supplements. I cannot emphasise enough that supplements are to be used in conjunction with a varied, balanced diet. I will mention more on how I use vitamin supplements in my next post. Currently, I love to add Chicory coffee, which contains manganese, potassium, phosphorous, folate and vitamin C
- Finally, to unite the contents of your muesli, add a generous splash of cashew, oat, hazelnut, coconut or any other milk you enjoy. Dairy milk is not for everyone. Personally I avoid using cow’s milk since battery farmed cows are fed antibiotics, which is contributing to the antibiotic resistance problem. There are many plant-based alternatives available in large, international supermarkets.
What are you favourite healthy tips to start the day?
