Frappaccinos for breakfast?

Breakfast. It's one of those hotly debated subjects on what one should eat for the optimal breakfast. We all KNOW it's the "most important meal of the day", however, it's often the one we all skimp on, eat the smallest, need the most energizing pick me up, or figure "hey I've got the rest of the day to work it off". what determines the size & content of your breakfast?

- Effort to make, obtain & possibly transport

- TIME - the magic causal relationship within all decisions

- Hunger factor

- Energy/jolt needs

- Conscious

The last factor seems to be the one that is least considered or at least falls off the list when all previous factors take precedence. I forgot what my breakfast used to be about 8 years ago. I do recall in 2007 it was sometimes those Starbucks frappuccino cans & a granola bar type thing. That was especially if I was out late the night prior. Why? Portable, tasty & energizing. Healthy? in my 20's it wasn't as detrimental, but now I see the repercussions. High in sugar, trans fat, & artificial ingredients. It pumped me up, but dropped me down fast. I think that's when i set the stage for my adrenal & thyroid issues almost 8 years later until recently despite the changes I made just 2 years after this quick fix of a breakfast. 

2008/2009 it was a fried egg over spinach and/or buckwheat thanks to my mom's health issues & influence and since then it's bene some combination or choice of yogurt, egg, veggies to what we have now which is fried egg over greens of some sort, hummus, & chopped up tomatos, onions, maybe cheese. Recently I've just been taking some left over bean/veggie dish from dinner & using as the base for the egg. Being pregnant I LOVE me some breakfast & find if I'm not fueled in the morning I want to snack more, have more cravings (Like most), but also can't function as well with headaches easily coming upon me & more.

So what's the deal with the Frappuccino? I walk by dunkin & smell the sugar & the coffee; smells great! I sometimes wish I could eat just a coffee & donut & be okay, but I know an hour or two later I would feel terrible. Does that happen with the mocha, late, frappuccino ONLY sans food way to start your day? Is that why some people get irritable around 10:30/11am? Is that why lunch is often easily 11:30am or if pushed off to 1pm then gorged upon. Does one realize the cylical effect of the Frappuccino rollercoaster - the energy packed drink creates the addiction for more.

The immediate rush through the system of that tasty, cold sugary, coffee mix makes you think you can conquer your day, but the aftermath in the body may not agree with blood sugar spikes, hormonal caffeinated pendulum swings & craving for nutritional substance that isn't just simple sugars, caffeine & artificial jolts of fun!

"You are much smarter now than when I first met you"

I recently listened to David Amen's "Train the Brain" lecture and realized a recent flippant statement my husband said the other day was true. "You are much smarter now than when I first met you". I thought wow, that's kind of an insult, but at the same time I understood what he meant & in his sweet way was telling me I had developed quickly & decelerated the aging of my brain. Learning is exercise for the brain. We all unassumingly play Sudoko, do crosswords as a way to keep the brain stimulated, but studies have indicated that those exercises along with other aspects of brain health such as good sleep, diet, weight, positiveness, omega 3's & more. I started learning a language a few years ago since my job, although intense while working, was a job I could leave at work if I deemed as such. I knew I wanted & needed to "learn" so the language was a good way to train the brain. I have to admit it was a great exercise for personal growth & fulfilled a need. However, when I started the Health Coaching training program, volunteered for the Worksite Wellness Council of MA, and even threw marriage into that mix, I felt that my brain has exponentially developed but at the same time feels slightly overloaded with all the tasks in these areas taking little more time to complete. Thus, what's the threshold for learning for maximum retention without hitting burnout? My Turkish isn't doing so great, but that's because it's been de-prioritized and I don't practice. I haven't even touched on the aspects of over stimulation in our society that can possibly minimize learning potential, but also train the brain to work faster. Some studies are saying too much multi-tasking isn't as ideal as originally thought. But to stick to this topic, brain health is just as important as physical, nutritional, spiritual health, so keep that in mind, find something "new" to learn and enjoy to make yourself "smarter" for yourself...not necessarily for the peanut gallery!