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By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

What is your breakfast of choice? Cereal? Toast? Oatmeal? A muffin? Eggs and bacon? Breakfast burritos? Yogurt? Whatever food you choose to break your fast with, we can all agree that eating a healthy, balanced breakfast in the morning is pretty important. It gives you both nutrients and that little boost of energy to get your day started.

But, besides eating a balanced breakfast, it’s also important to eat for your brain health too. This helps to ensure that your brain is energized and able to focus on the day that is ahead. According to Dr. Austin Purlmutter, there are some key things to look for when making a brain-boosting breakfast.

Go For the Complex Carbs

First, it is important to eat complex carbohydrates as opposed to refined carbohydrates. The reason is twofold. Not only are complex carbs filled with nutrients and minerals that refined carbs don’t have, but complex carbs don’t produce that “energy crash” later in the morning. Some examples of complex carbohydrates include whole grains, fruits, veggies, yogurt, and legumes.

Increase the Fiber

Second, when making a brain-healthy breakfast, it is important to increase fiber and decrease added sugars. Dr. Purlmutter notes that approximately 70 percent of foods we find in the grocery store contain added sugars, with a significant amount of those foods being breakfast foods. This is easy to see, considering how many of the cereals in the cereal aisle are either chocolate or fruit flavored, and many breakfast pastries are basically just desserts disguised as breakfast.

Fiber, Protein and Fat

Finally, Dr. Purlmutter suggests incorporating three essential brain-healthy nutrients into each breakfast meal. These three are fiber, protein, and fat. He notes that these are a surefire way to ensure that you are full, fueled, and feeling great all day long.

Ready to make breakfast yet? Thanks to Arizona agriculture, we have access to a wide variety of locally grown and raised breakfast foods. Our local dairies provide us with milk, cheese, yogurts, and other dairy products, while Hickman’s gives us eggs! Not to mention all the ranchers who raise livestock for breakfast meats like sausage, bacon, and more! So, get yourself some locally grown ingredients, and whip up a brain-boosting breakfast for you and your family!

For more information on locally grown products, or for more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog! Also, you can source for local agricultural products on Fill Your Plate’s “Find a Farm Product.”