KASHI FLAX BANANA BOWL

This is one of my favorite on-the-go breakfasts! Credit to the Insanity Nutrition Guide.

1 Cup Kashi Go Lean - Original

1/2 Cup Silk Lite (or Skim milk)

1/2 Banana

1 Tbsp Flax seed (I use Bob's Red Mill Flax because that is what my local grocery store happens to carry)

I'm be honest with you, the Kashi Go Lean is bland and Kashi is expensive (about 5 dollar a box when not on sale here in NYC) but it is one of the best breakfast cereal options out there so it is worth it in my opinion and the banana makes it nice and sweet. The tupperware bowl in the picture is from Sterlite and perfect if you are one of those people that is always rushed in the morning. You can put all the ingredients except the milk in the bowl the night before and put it in the refrigerator. Then in the morning just pour the milk in as you are running out the door and eat it on the go! Or get some milk at work and eat it there. Much better for you than a McMuffin and just as quick!

This whole breakfast comes out to:

270 calories which breaks down to 

61 grams of carbs (23 grams sugar mostly from banana, 17 grams of fiber)

19 grams of protein 

6 grams of fat (all good fats)

For your daily vitamin values you are also getting:

11% Vitamin A

20% Vitamin B-6

50% Vitamin B-12

17% Vitamin C

30% Vitamin D

55% Calcium

20% Iron

34% Phosphorous

30% Magnesium

30% Riboflavin

10% Folate

35% Potassium

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

The flax seeds give you a nice punch of Omega-3: 1800 mg to be exact. It also is a good source of Omega-6 fatty acids. 

FUN FACT: In marketing and in the media Omega-3 fatty acids tend to be lumped together. There are, in actuality, 3 main variations: ALA (found in plants/seeds) and DHA/EPA (found primarily fish oils or eggs). DHA and EPA are what people are usually really talking about when they are discussing the potential health benefits of omega-3's since a diet high in oily fish has been shown to mildly lower blood pressure, lower risk of stroke, and have positive affects on cognitive, inflammatory and psychological disorders. The Omega-3 in flax seed is ALA which is not tied to these things BUT it is still an important dietary component since the human body cannot create any of these fatty acids on its own but can partially convert ALA to DHA and EPA and all of them are essential components of many different functions such as regulating blood clotting and building membranes in the brain. And although the research is preliminary, studies have shown that daily doses of ALA significantly reduced both self-reported stress and anxiety levels and objectively measured Cortisol (stress hormone) levels.