Breakfast is the most challenging meal of the day in our household. My three men love diversity, flavor and sometimes they behave as if I am a restaurant they can order from. However the reality looks different, as we know. I cook one breakfast for everyone and it has to be fast. I agree with flavor, diversity and nutrient density. Our go to breakfasts include:

Chia seed pudding with lots of activated seeds and nuts, fresh berries and coconut yoghurt,
Fresh cooked quinoa porridge with a variety of toppings,
Eggs in many forms accompanied with greens and avocado,
Brown rice congee, cooked in slow cooker with chicken stock, served with greens, herbs and egg.
Home-made GF granola with sheep’s yoghurt,
Frittata, or
Acai bowl.
All of the above can be accompanied by a green juice, or chicken broth to provide some additional goodness and nourishment for the body and mind.

Breakfast is really the most important meal of the day. When waking up you break an overnight fast (intermittent fasting) so the first thing your body needs is water to hydrate your body and brain. Enjoy some filtered water with or without lemon juice. Your breakfast will then assist you to refuel your glycogen (energy) stores and it will kick start your metabolism. It is critical to providing you energy for the day and if nutrient dense it will prevent you from craving salty and sweet foods in the evenings. Your blood sugar levels will also be more stable throughout the day which will have a positive effect on your energy levels and mood.

It really makes a difference to your health when you get up 15 minutes earlier to develop a nice morning routine which includes a cooked breakfast that you enjoy. You will also find that you are more resilient to the stress the day may throw at you as you start your day more relaxed. That is of course considering you do not check your phone in those 15 minutes and make them sacred for you. Giving time to nourish yourself in the present moment is truly a big gift to yourself.

One of my favorite recipes that I want to share with you is the Summer Acai bowl. It is very easy to prepare, rich in anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, gut-healing gelatin, protein and fiber. Children particularly love the color and that they can decorate it by choosing the toppings. Enjoy it!

ACAI BOWL RECIPE

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp Acai powder
1 tbsp of Gelatin & hydrolysed collagen (optional)
1 frozen banana
1 handful of frozen blueberries
1 handful of frozen raspberries
2 tbsp of GF oats or rice or quinoa flakes
200ml (2/3 cup) of coconut milk
1 tbsp of coconut yoghurt or kefir

TOPPINGS

Chia seeds
Linseeds, ground
Fresh mint
Home-made granola
Nuts, chopped
Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Fresh seasonal fruit
Desiccated coconut
Goji and/or inca berries

METHOD

Put all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and process for 2 minutes at high speed (Thermomix speed 10). Distribute between two bowls, depending on how hungry you are and garnish with your favorite toppings.

Images: Amani Lindsell, TWP The Womens Pic Website, Facebook, Instagram

Styling: Belinda Elliott

REFERENCES

Betts, J.A., Chowdhury, E.A., Gonzalez, J.T., Richardson, J.D., Tsintzas, K., Thompson, D. (2016). Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? Proc Nutr Soc. 75(4):464-474.
Adolphus, K., Lawton, C.L., Champ, C.L., Dye, L.. (2016). The Effects of Breakfast and Breakfast Composition on Cognition in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Adv Nutr. 7(3):590S-612S. doi: 10.3945/an.115.010256.

WHO I AM

I am Doctor Verena Raschke-Cheema (PhD, MSc). I hold a doctorate in the Nutritional Sciences from the University of Vienna and I am a trained in Neuro-Training Kinesiology. I live on the south coast of New South Wales with my husband and two sons. I enjoy eating and cooking delicious foods and spending time in nature.

WHAT I DO

I am a holistic nutrition consultant, Neuro-Training Kinesiologist and holistic health educator.

I use my knowledge and skills to help empower people to overcome mental, emotional and physical challenges which are preventing them from excelling and experiencing a richer and more fuller life.

WHAT I OFFER

1. Private Neuro-Training Kinesiology sessions: I use a client-centered approach to identify and resolve the mental, emotional and physical root causes behind the symptoms via the use of neurological-response testing.

2. Holistic Nutrition Consultations: The individualised nutritional assessments and recommendations support the recuperation process, combining scientific principles, methodical dedication and evidence-based practices in Nutritional Sciences from the West with aspects of traditional healing modalities from the East (Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine).

3. My workshops, events and digital information on the power of wholefoods and the interconnection between physical, mental and emotional health are engaging and inspiring, with an emphasis on empowering the individual to become more health conscious and supportive of their own transformation.

WHAT INSPIRED MY CAREER

My story has a very familiar theme that many of you have heard about before…

I was challenged with body image issues, engaged in controlled eating behavior, ended up with adrenal fatigue and insomnia already in my early twenties. This was a big wake up call for me and I started to engage in a very conscious and balanced lifestyle to realign my mental, emotional and physical health. After I lost one of my twins in-utero with my second pregnancy, I decided to end the fast pace academic career lifestyle of mine to improve my work-life balance even more. After another successful home-lotus-birth with my second son, I experienced the so far biggest challenge of my life, sleeplessness. My son was not sleeping more than 1-2 hours at a time for the first year of his life. He also had bouts of panic attacks during the night where it was almost impossible to calm him down. After seeing various doctors and health practitioners, who all said that he is a healthy little boy and everything is fine with him, I thought there must be more to this. After a year of almost no sleep, emotional and mental vulnerability, physical exhaustion and nobody being able to help, I saw a Neuro-Training Kinesiologist, who became my teacher 2 years later. After three sessions with her, my son started to sleep through the night. She was able to identify and re-balance the neurology in relation to the shock/trauma that my son had experienced, the loss of his twin in-utero. This experience put him into a fight flight state, compromising his parasympathetic nervous system, leading to the wake ups at night as well as panic attacks.

From our most challenging times, the biggest growth can arise. I feel very fortunate and honored that I can now use my experiences, skills, knowledge and passion to assist other children as well as adults to re-balancing their mental, emotional and physical health.

WHAT I ENJOY ABOUT MY BUSINESS

It feeds my soul that I can do what I love doing and that I can contribute to making a difference in people’s lives. I really enjoy that every client is unique and therefore the treatment approach.

HOW I BALANCE LIFE AND WORK

Organisation and routine are my best friends as well as reminding myself regularly that less is more. Outsourcing the ‘time wasters’ such as social media or admin work was also a big help with keeping the lifestyle balance as well as creating enough time for self-nourishment.

WHAT INSPIRES AND MOTIVATES ME

My drive is to be the best version of myself and to empower others to do the same. My daily motivations are also my clients and their transformations. The excitements for life also inspires me, as there is so much to explore, learn and share.

HOW I VIEW SUCCESS

Success for me is about deep inner personal work in myself and facilitating it for others. It begins by identifying fears, limiting beliefs and subjective filters that have shaped experiences, sense of self, and our socialised worldview.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT IN MY CAREER

I feel that trust is the number one facilitator when it comes to a successful business. Trust in yourself, your talents, skillset and authenticity, as well as the natural flow of life. Allow things to happen organically.

PERSONAL ADVICE THAT I HAVE LEARNED

When it comes to the day to day running of my business, I enjoy engaging with clients from all walks of life and all ages. Teaching people about the healing power of foods is very exciting. The more people understand how their physical health is related to their mental and emotional well-being, the more empowered and resilient they are.

ADVICE I CAN SHARE WITH THOSE OF YOU THAT EMBARK ON THEIR CAREER

Trust more & fear less.
Be kind to yourself.
Bravely go where others won’t.
Shake things up and make your mark on the world.
Reach out and ask for help and support when needed.
World map your vision.
Less is more.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST