One universally accepted belief about a healthy diet is that breakfast is important. A hearty breakfast (remember the adage ‘Eat Breakfast Like a King’) should come after a long gap since your last meal. A breakfast is your fuel to get you going, both in your body and in your mind. Multiple studies have shown children cannot learn optimally if they come to school unfed. Perhaps this also applies to adults - is it possible to perform effectively without morning nourishment? Probably not.
To be hungry in the morning, you need a gap of 10-12 hours since your last meal. That means your last meal has been fully digested for several hours, and your appetite hormones will awaken first thing in the morning. But if you eat late at night, you may not feel hungry in the morning and when done consistently, you can throw your sleep and appetite hormones off kilter, making it more difficult to regulate your appetite and your weight.
Mix Up Your Breakfast
Every meal, including breakfast, should have a mix of protein, fat and carbohydrate to properly nourish you.
Here are some combinations that fit that formula:
FOOD NUTRIENTS
1. One cup organic whole oats complex carbohydrate, protein, fat
One banana complex carbohydrate
Small handful of nuts fat and protein
2. One pasture raised organic egg protein and fat
One cup of blueberries complex carbohydrate
and/or grilled vegetable mix complex carbohydrate
3. One cup full fat plain yogurt protein and fat
1 banana chopped complex carbohydrate
1/2 cup blueberries complex carbohydra
small handful of nuts or chia seeds protein and fat
Which Is Best for You?
My suggestion is that you try all three and vary your choice from time to time. You may notice that you feel satisfied longer with one of these breakfasts than the others. That one breakfast may become your most repeated meal, but changing it up from time to time will vary the nutrients you get from each of these three good choices. The fruits and vegetables can be varied and not limited to the ones I listed. Eat all colors to get well balanced nutrients.
In summer you may want to stay with cooling foods like yogurt, or even have a well balanced smoothie, but in cooler months you may lean more toward the warmer foods.
We’re into Fall Now
Fall oficially arrived this weekend. We are sure to have many more warm days before we settle into consistent cool weather, so now is a time to be flexible with your meal choices. With the convenience of weather calendars now, I look online before the start of a new week to check out the expected temperaure so I can anticipate what meals I’ll want to prepare. You could have one morning in the 70s where you’ll want a cooling breakfast, where another morning may be in the 50s where you’ll welcome a bowl of hot oatmeal.
Do you feel more comfortable with your choices now that you know the ones listed here each contain the essential nutrients of carbohydrate, protein and fat? Fad diets that come along suggest avoiding any one of the nutrients, and eating an excessive amount of one. They are all important, with quality carbohydrates being the best source of fuel, with clean protein for supporting your muscles, and quality fat helping your brain, joints and heart.
If you need more help with this, contact me here.