Breakfast

We’ve all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet many of us still skip it. I’m going to give you some reasons why it’s such a big deal and tips on how to do it right.

Breakfast literally means the meal that breaks the fast after last night’s sleep. This is a crucial time to re-fuel the body for a busy day. Not just food either, water or fluids also. A good breakfast re-sets your metabolism from fasted or starvation mode to fully fueled and ready to go. The body has a hard time reasoning why it would carry around excess body fat if it’s properly nourished. Notice I didn’t write OVERNURISHED. Just like the latest vehicles on the market the body is a “flex fuel” machine as well. We can run on not only carbs but also fats and proteins. Ideally if you want to burn fat, you should probably have your body run as a fat burning machine. This means eating less carbs to take away the need to burn off the carbohydrate fuel and not be afraid to consume more healthy fats to encourage the body to switch to fat burning mode. Fat does not beget fat; it actually promotes a more fat burning effect than carbs. Protein comes in as the hero food source. It provides as re-building supplies for nearly every tissue in the body. Ok, that was vague. Think: muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, brain, blood vessels and the little things like hormones, immune system cells… and such. Protein also promotes satiety. After an omelet most people feel fueled up and satisfied for possibly the rest of the morning. Conversely, toast and jam may fill your belly but wait one hour and you’ll be looking for something else to eat.

Ideally a “good” breakfast will include all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. A heavier emphasis on protein and fat for this time of day makes for a more successful day.

The following is a list of good breakfast foods:

• Eggs cooked pretty much anyway (frying with coconut oil is healthiest). Sunny side up has the best solution for those worried about cholesterol—a topic to be discussed on its own in another blog article.
• Cottage cheese—the higher fat selection (4% vs. 2% or less) also has more protein per serving.
• Milk—mmmm milk.

Less palatable for traditionalists would be:

• Steak, chicken, beans, nuts, fish, turkey… get the hint supper foods should be eaten for breakfast.

Ok let’s piece this together.

1. Wake up and drink 5-18 oz of water right away.
2. Get ready for the day.
3. Cook or prepare a protein heavy breakfast keeping in mind that the other food components are also good just in smaller amounts than the protein at this time of day.
4. By the time you eat breakfast 20 minutes should have passed since pounding the water at wake.
5. Be prepared to have a productive day and watch the fat melt away.