We've all heard the adage "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," but in addition, we need to eat the right kind of breakfast and actually be able to have time to do so.

Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, which gets your body burning calories to fuel your brain, organs, muscles, etc. Your metabolism works best when fueled by small meals every few hours, and when you wake up in the morning, you haven't eaten for about eight hours. Your metabolism is on "slow" until you eat. If you don't eat breakfast, it stays on slow.

When you eat the right things for breakfast, your metabolism gets a kick-start, your body is geared to burn fat rather than store fat, you feel satisfied not hungry, you can think clearly, and you are more productive, patient and learn better.

To make your breakfast do all these wonderful things for you, you need three things at every meal: protein, fats, carbs. That's where the whey protein shakes and smoothies come in. High protein drinks are fast and easy to make and still give you the necessary protein to satisfy the checklist.

Four Key Items For a Fast Metabolism Checklist

Get these items in at every breakfast and your day is off to a great start. Follow this checklist for every meal, and you''ll have a rock star metabolism all day. Every meal should have:

• a fist of protein (4 - 6 oz of lean chicken; lentils and tofu; pure protein shake powder mixed with water for a high protein drink)




• a thumb of good fats (fish oil, flaxseeds, olive oil)




• a fist of unprocessed carbs (leafy veggies, oatmeal or brown rice)




• time to make this meal (high protein shakes and smoothies can help immensely on busy mornings)

Here's why getting these items in at each meal will keep you burning fat instead of storing it. Your cells need the carbs to function (they're the actual fuel/energy) but need the protein and fats to take in the carbs you've eaten in a steady stream. If you get only carbs or too many, you get a "sugar rush" and then crash and go into starvation mode. This means nothing functions properly. You can't think. You're hungry and tend to overeat. And whatever carbs/glucose you do eat in this state is stored as fat not used as energy. But follow the fast-metabolism checklist, and you'll:

• feel satiated not hungry




• be less likely to pig out throughout the day




• give your brain what it needs to run so you can concentrate better and think more clearly




• maintain a healthy, lean body.

Having a whey protein shake, protein drink or smoothie first thing in the morning ensures that your carbs are time-released, your metabolism gets a kick-start, your body is geared to burn fat rather than store fat, and you feel satisfied not hungry. Mix in fresh berries, yogurt, cinnamon and other tasty favorites for a delicious meal.