Building a Balanced Breakfast & Get Clued up on Caffeine

Welcome to the 5th Edition of your Wellness Newsletter

Over the coming months we will publish content on the key pillars of health and wellbeing including nutrition, physical activity, sleep and mental health. Providing up-to-date, factually accurate and relatable health information.

This month’s topics include; “Building a Balanced Breakfast”, sharing tips on how to start the day well and a look into how much caffeine is in your everyday drinks and food. 

We’ll also share delicious healthy recipes, an interesting food fact and further resources.

Building a Balanced Breakfast

Breakfast acts as our body’s alarm clock, by kick starting our metabolism and providing the brain with energy, allowing us to feel alert. 

Every meal we eat is an opportunity to provide nourishment and fuel to our body. Breakfast offers an opportunity to fuel and nourish our body and provide important vitamins, minerals and fibre.

What does a healthy balanced breakfast look like?

Fruit & Veg
Having 1 or 2 portions of fruit or veg at breakfast is a great start to helping you meet your 7 a day. Add some fresh or frozen fruit to porridge such as berries or have some grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado or spinach with your morning egg on wholegrain toast.

Protein
It’s a good idea to include a portion of protein at breakfast to help us feel fuller and support muscle maintenance. Protein sources include; egg, yogurt, beans, nuts.

Wholegrain Carbohydrates
Wholegrain carbs provide a slow release of energy throughout the day. Opt for oats, wholegrain bread or a wholegrain breakfast cereal high in fibre (but watch out for the sugar content).

This combination will help gear you up for the day ahead. 

Relying on caffeine?

Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in plants and is present in drinks and foods such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate. It stimulates the central nervous system and makes us feel more awake and alert.

However, too much caffeine can increase anxiety, raise blood pressure and heart rate, and disrupt sleep. The recommended limit for most healthy adults is around 400mg per 24 hours.

Use the below guide to calculate how much caffeine you are having in one day.

Approximate caffeine content: 

- Tea = 75mg
- Coffee = 100mg
- Cola = 40mg
- Energy Drink (250ml) = 80mg
- Plain Chocolate (50g) = <25mg

If you’re consuming more than the recommended amount, try reducing your intake gradually and switching to lower-caffeine options such as herbal or decaffeinated drinks.