Quick! September is Better Breakfast Month!

Shape Magazine helps you play catch-up with healthy breakfast options for girls-on-the-go

From the LifeMinute Team

September 19th, 2014

You forgot to mark your calendar again, didn't you? September is Better Breakfast month -- meanwhile, you've spent the past 19 days wolfing down your morning muffin while standing over the kitchen sink before running out the door. Hey, you're a busy woman, we understand. But it's not too late to squeeze in some healthy choices before September slips away.

Do some crunches

Shape Magazine Editor-at-Large Bahar Takhtehchian...she's a busy woman, too. So she knows if you're going to take the time to get your crunch on with some morning granola, you want it to taste as good as it is good for you -- which is why Bahar loves that Nature's Path Gluten Free Selections are organic and come in four fabulous flavors with each serving delivering 16 grams of whole grains, minus the trans fats and cholesterol. "[They're] made with gluten-free uncontaminated whole grain oats and premium fruits, nuts and honey...I love to have these with a little bit of yogurt in the morning," she says.

Try power lifting

Packing protein can power you through the morning, giving you that extra boost you need to make it to lunchtime. No woman can live on eggs alone, so Bahar suggests adding chicken sausage to your morning meal. Won't regular old pork sausage do the trick? Sure, if you want a side of fat and sodium with those links. Bahar likes al fresco Chicken Sausage, "It's loaded with flavor and it has 75% less fat and 40% less sodium than your typical pork sausage." Along with the perk of being pork-free, this chicken sausage is also free of nitrates and MSG.

Sweet!

Crunchy tasty granola - check! Protein-packing chicken sausage - check! All done? Not so fast... Before you blow all your progress by hitting up the vending machine for a chocolate bar come lunchtime, consider starting your day with a cocoa extract supplement. Bahar explains, "Cocoa flavanols [are] scientifically proven to promote a healthy heart, and they do this by supporting healthy blood flow. Now, cocoa flavanols are nutrients naturally found in cocoa beans, but they are easily destroyed so not all chocolate products contain them." So to guarantee you start your day with cocoa flavanols, try adding a powdered pack of CocoaVia Daily Cocoa Extract Supplement to your morning meal. The Dark Chocolate flavor (sweetened or unsweetened) can give a cocoa kick to your oatmeal, while the Cran-Raspberry will perk up plain yogurt or a fruit smoothie. Not sure that's your style? Relax, it comes in a capsule form as well so you don't have to miss out -- check out cocoavia.com to learn more.

So drop the muffin and pick up the latest Shape, on newsstands now, for more better breakfast info. And September's a short month, so get a move on!

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