Your superwoman self by a holistic nutritional therapist & wellbeing coach: breakfast edition
The brandy butter is growing fur in the fridge and the cupboards are full of half-eaten tubs of celebrations; this can only mean one thing; January is upon us. As we say goodbye to the fabulous festivities and twinkly lights of December, and hello to the bleak long months of January and February, what better time to take a deep breath and focus on taking care of yourself in order to beat the winter slump? These three completely balanced, happy hormone boosting breakfasts are guaranteed to taste delicious, keep you full and satisfied all morning, and most importantly, give you an extra boost of dopamine, making these meals the perfect companion to hold your hand through the rest of this winter and beyond.
But first, good to know…
The hunger crushing combo: healthy fats, complex carbs, and good quality protein. This will ensure that you’re not only setting yourself up for the day, but will also continue to build satiating and balanced meals throughout the rest of your week. This nifty combo can be used to make up the baseline of any meal and will ensure that you stay satisfied and full. Once you have that in place, it’s time for the fun part: adding in all of those extra nutrients, flavours, vitamins and minerals, allowing us to experiment in the kitchen and create meals that make YOU happy, because everybody is different.
Secondly, it is essential to look at balancing our hormones when we’re talking about boosting serotonin and all of those yummy happy hormones. Vitamin B6 and vitamin E are key players when it comes to maintaining hormone balance, which in turn equates to a happy mood. This is because these vitamins are essential for helping our body to produce serotonin, and serotonin = happiness!
So, let’s bring on the breakfasts…
Feels Oat-So-Good
These oats recipes are the perfect antidote for a gloomy, rainy day. Using slow-releasing carbs and packing them full of macro and micronutrients, these oats are an easy and timeeffective way to beat the winter blues.
Oat Base:
Organic Oats + Your milk or liquid of choice (organic cows, almond, oat, coconut, water etc) Combine your oats and liquid in a pan (to your ideal ratio – the less liquid, the thicker the oats), cook on a low heat, constantly stirring until you are left with a creamy porridge of your desired consistency.
Option 1: The pear-fect match
Ingredients and method:
Pear (thinly sliced and either stirred into the hot oats, or placed on top)
Almond Butter (swirled into the oats as you’re cooking)
Medjool Dates (cut into small chunks and stir into the oats are you’re cooking to soften)
Cinnamon (sprinkled on top)
Chia seeds (sprinkled on top) Natural Yoghurt (dolloped on top – tastes like cream!)
The happy benefits: Packed full of fibre, this (not-so) humble bowl of oats will feed your microbiome, leading to better digestion and a boosted mood. Cinnamon and chia are fantastic for slowing the release of sugar into the bloodstream, and almods bring the vitamin E, a fantastic way to boost serotonin.
Top Tip: This one also makes a delicious after-dinner dessert. Oats are full of melatonin, which, when partnered with a sleepy tea, makes the perfect dessert to promote relaxation.
Option 2: Banana-be-calmer
Ingredients and method:
Bananas (stir into your oats as they bake or thinly slice on top)
Peanut butter (stir into your oats as they bake)
Cacao nibs (sprinkle on top)
Chia seeds (sprinkle on top)
Maple syrup (pour on top)
Greek yoghurt (creamy topping)
The happy benefits: Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C, whilst peanuts are full of vitamin E, reducing inflammation and aiding digestion. Meanwhile, cacao is an amazing source of magnesium, which is essential for many different parts of our bodies, including heart health. Topping off with some Greek yoghurt and maple syrup will help to boost your immune system and line your gut with good bacteria.
Top Tip: This one is great to make the night before work and store in the fridge, ready to heat up in the office the next day, or even eat cold as they are. Perfect for the ladies on-the-go.
Feel good fats
This delicious savoury option is perfect for when you have a bit more time in the morning, or have decided to be present and take it slow. Promising to pack a ton of flavour, these are guaranteed to hit the savoury spot.
Ingredients and method:
Organic/free range eggs (boil for 7 minutes and then peel off the shell for soft boiled eggs)
Mushrooms (thinly sliced and cooked in olive oil until soft, then sprinkled on top of the avocado)
Sourdough (lightly toasted)
½ Avocado (scooped out and spread onto your toast)
Garlic infused extra virgin olive oil (drizzle on top) Lime (light squeeze on top)
Chilli (small sprinkle on top)
Optional: Smoked salmon/Kimchi (layered on top for extra healthy fats / probiotics)
The happy benefits: Eggs are natures multivitamin. In fact, they are one of the only foods to naturally contain vitamin D, something that we all need more of during the winter months especially. Avocado and olive oil provide those healthy fats which can work to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) and adding kimchi will provide an excellent source of probiotics, happy gut = happy mind.
Top Tip: Try swapping out your coffee for a matcha or decaf instead. The lower dose in caffeine and slower release will support your adrenal glands in order to slow the production of cortisol, equating in a feeling of calm.
Something Simple…
Gorgeous in Green
Now I’m not going to make any promises that green juice is going to change your life, however, this smoothie is the perfect refreshing morning drink, packed full of fibre and vitamins to keep you fuller for longer and support you in your dopamine deep-dive.
Ingredients and method:
½ Avocado
Handful of spinach Zest of lemon & lime
Small slice of ginger
Handful of frozen mango or pineapple frozen chunks
Apple juice
Method: Whizz all together in a blender to your desired consistency and enjoy!
The happy benefits: Avocado contains that important vitamin E that contributes to the production of serotonin. This smoothie is also packed full of healthy fats from the avocado, which supports hormone health. Spinach is packed full of iron (great for when it’s that time of the month), and mango or pineapple add a hit of sweetness, aids digestion, improves skin health and boosts immunity to ward off those winter bugs.
Top Tip: Not everyone can stomach a meal in the morning. This one effortlessly provides those antioxidants first thing and give an energy boost for the morning.
Meet Becks - a Nutritional Therapist and Holistic Health Coach.
Becks is a dedicated and passionate Holistic Nutritional Therapist & Wellbeing Coach. She holds qualifications in both Health Coaching (from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition), and Nutritional Therapy (from the Health Sciences Academy). She is currently based in London and works primarily to help women find peace and happiness through a holistic lens, whilst managing stress and healing their relationship with food and their bodies. Becks is also passionate about workplace wellbeing and stress management, and partners with organisations to advise them on boundaries, stress management and staying healthy and connected.
Having found herself adopting toxic habits and patterns around disordered eating and body image as a teen and early twenty-something, Becks decided that enough was enough, and swapped her career in fashion styling for studying nutrition and health instead. 10 years later, a whole load of self-development and two qualifications later, Becks is now on a mission to help women to change the way that women think about not only food, but their bodies and lifestyle in general, through a holistic 360-lens. With a view that true contentment comes from finding balance, Becks helps women to heal their relationship with food and their bodies, manage their stress, sleep better, and find boundaries within their lives to help them to finally let go and thrive.
Client Testimonial: ‘’Working with Becks has been a complete game-changer for my health and mindset. Her wealth of knowledge I have found invaluable when it comes to the areas I wanted to focus on and work through. Becks’ approach is friendly, thorough and understanding, thanks to this I’ve felt able to really open up and as a result it’s helped me to overhaul my health, creating new, more positive habits and overall feel more like me again.’
If you’re interested in finding out more about how Becks can support your health and wellbeing - you can reach her here.