Yogurt Cinnamon Breakfast

I was raised eating breakfast everyday, and I know how important it is to eat breakfast. Yet recently I found myself getting away from starting my day with a meal. I like to start the day with devotion and prayer. At one time I made myself a healthy green smoothie, and took it to devotion with me. That worked out great. I felt great, my waist was small, and I had lots of energy. 

Kale smoothie

But as time passed there were days when I didn't make my smoothie, and/or spent a very long time in devotion. I exercise right after devotion, so too often I found myself going long periods without eating, and then exercising on an empty stomach. Not a good practice at all.

I found my waist growing (despite the fact I do hundreds of crunches daily) and my energy waning. I saw a program praising the benefits of yogurt & cinnamon in the morning and decided I would try it. I planned to start my day with yogurt and cinnamon on those days when I didn't have the time or ingredients to make a smoothie. At least I would have something in my stomach. That was an excellent decision.

Low fat yogurt with live & active cultures

In addition to being healthy, yogurt with cinnamon is delicious. I buy the 32 ounce containers and that works out great. They're economical and I can get as much yogurt as I want. I like vanilla yogurt, especially Greek yogurt. I sometimes get the organic vanilla yogurt from Whole Foods and that's good also. I sprinkle cinnamon into the yogurt and I've just created a healthy meal in less than 2 minutes. Both yogurt and cinnamon have enormous health benefits. Below are just a few:

Vanilla yogurt with cinnamon & banana

Benefits of Yogurt

• Good bacteria (probiotics). Look for "live and active cultures" on the label.
• Weight loss. Studies show 18 oz of yogurt consumed daily correlates with reduced belly flab. ☺
• Vitamins
• Lower blood pressure
• Helps break down lactose so even lactose intolerant people can tolerate yogurt. I personally can attest to this fact.

See the references at the bottom to learn more of the many benefits.

Vanilla Greek yogurt with cinnamon & fresh blueberries

Cinnamon also has many benefits, including:

• Blood sugar regulation
• Lower cholesterol
• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

As you can see from the pictures you can get creative with your yogurt by adding fresh fruit or other ingredients. When craving chocolate, yogurt and cinnamon is great with cocoa or cacao powder added; and even some dark chocolate chunks.

For something to be so easy to prepare and to have so many benefits; there's no excuse to avoid taking the time to eat in the morning (or any other time).

References

10 Incredible Health Benefits Of Yogurt

The Benefits of Yogurt

Cinnamon's Health Benefits 

10 Health Benefits of Cinnamon