Why I’m giving my own smoothie a miss

I have a bit of a confession to make.

Although it’s been lovely to receive so many messages and photos from people telling me they loved my breakfast smoothie video and are now making it every day, I feel a bit of a fraud. The truth is that I’m not often having that smoothie (or any smoothie for that matter) for breakfast these days. Not because I don’t love it and it’s not super good for you. But because it’s winter. You see, the video was made back in late summer, as you may be able to clock from my tan, when I was indeed enjoying lots of smoothies. But a cold liquid in the morning isn’t what I feel like at the moment. When it’s icy and dark outside, I prefer something a bit warmer.

The breakfast I can’t get enough of at the moment is two eggs fried in butter, sprinkled with turmeric, pink salt and black pepper with half an avocado on the side. As well as being totally delicious when fried in butter, eggs are incredibly nutrition-packed and give you the good fats and protein that you need to set you up for the day.

At any rate, it’s not a great idea to eat exactly the same thing day in day out, week in week out throughout the year. So many of us get stuck in an overly rigid regime, clinging doggedly to eating the same thing for breakfast or doing the same workout all year round – very often in conflict with our body’s natural rhythms. The reality is that our body is constantly in flux with the changing seasons and we’re wired to need different things at different times of the year.

While summer was all about fresh salads, late nights and loads of frenetic outdoor activity, winter has a different vibe all together. It’s more of an “inward” time for rest and restoration, for comfort, for hunkering down in preparation for the next explosion of energy come springtime. That means more sleep and less running about. The Danes have got it nailed with their Hygge approach to thriving in winter. It’s grounded in cosiness, hot water bottles, books you’ve been meaning to read for ages, lots of candles and steaming hot drinks.

Raw foods aren’t what we thrive on at this time of year – winter is traditionally a time to focus on meat/animal fats with hardy veg. My slow-cooker is my best mate these days. Try experimenting with hearty, warming stews and other delicious slow-cooked foods. Instead of forcing yourself to eat loads of cold lettuce leaves, think chunky soups or roasted root veggies that go caramelised and sweet or roasted broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts or sturdy, robust greens like kale and cavalo nero wilted and sprinkled with olive oil and salt. Winter is also the perfect time to re-evaluate breakfast as just another meal – leftovers warmed up aren’t what we typically think of as a breakfast, but why not?

Our go-go lives today leave us pretty far removed from an intuitive way of eating. So, rather than listening to me, pay attention to what feels right to you at any given point. And if something stops tasting good to you, don’t eat it!

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3 Comments

  1. Emma Williams

    Makes perfect sense – I’m very much in porridge mode at the moment and have taken your advice of packing it with seeds for protein and blueberries!

    I have a quick question on eggs though. My Grandma has always moaned at my Grandad for eating too many (poor man!), saying it’s not good for him! She’s clearly no expert, but I’ve always taken her word for it! I’d love to know the official line?

  2. Emma Williams

    My Grandad will be pleased! Time to go and buy a carton of eggs!

  3. Suzy Glaskie

    HI Emma, so glad to hear you’re making sure you have protein in the morning. I don’t blame your grandma at all for worrying about eggs – there’s been so much confusion and misinformation about them and they really have been dragged through the mud. Happily, though, there’s been a complete turnaround and eggs have now been totally exonerated (if you’ll pardon the pun). They are, in fact, one of the most perfect foods nutritionally speaking so hopefully that will put your Grandma’s mind at rest. Suzy

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