Let's talk about BREAKFAST
What to eat for breakfast to have energy throughout the day?
There is so much confusion out there about breakfast. Is it necessary to have one, if so how soon after the waking and of course what would actually constitute a ‘healthy breakfast’. The English language already gives some clues on what the breakfast is all about – literally: breaking fast - an overnight fast, one might want to add. In this post, I will try to shed some light on why what you eat for breakfast matters for the quality of the day and give you some ideas on what ‘healthy breakfast’ might actually mean.
But first things first. The overnight fast is critical to keep our digestion and our bodies healthy. It should last a minimum of 12 hours but could be further expanded. Many people that incorporate intermittent fasting in their lives fast for about 16 hours, leaving the eating window limited to 8 hours. That would mean for example having dinner at 7:00 pm and not eating anything else or drinking liquids other than water till at least 7:00 am. What happens when we fast? Apart from giving a break to our digestive system and allowing for detoxification, fasting, including overnight fasting, activates a process of so-call ‘autophagy’. This literally means ‘self-eating’. It is a process of self-cleaning, in which your body locates damaged cells and uses their molecules to build new cells – a recycling of sort…. There is sound research that links the authophagy (which can be also activated by regular exercise and carbohydrate restriction) to decreased inflamation, cancer prevention, anti-aging, and other benefits. What’s not to like? Needless to say, I hope I got your attention on why overnight fasting should be something you pay attention to.
And now to the core of the matter – what should I eat for breakfast, or more precisely, how to best break the overnight fast? In order to get a better understanding of what to eat, we need to talk about insulin. Insulin is the hormone that gets released in order to regulate the glucose (i.e. sugar) level in your blood. There is ever growing research showing the seriously damaging impact of insulin spikes, so as much as possible you should eat in a way that keeps your glucose level balanced. After an overnight fast, your body exhibits more sensitivity to sugar (glucose). That means if you feed your body sugar (i.e. carbohydrates), it will likely overreact sending your insulin way up. Hello breakfast cereal with fruit for the more healthy-minded, and pain au chocolat and croissant for the less so. Combine the latter with a glass of orange juice (that contains roughly 4-5 teaspoons of sugar) and you have a perfect recipe for an insulin roller coaster throughout the morning and the rest of the day. And for those that are trying to lose weight, such insulin spikes and crashes are also a perfect recipe for fat storage, as the excess glucose quickly gets converted and stored as fat.
So, what could be good food choices for breakfast that balance the sugar and fill you with energy for the rest of the day?
• Green smoothie
Basic formula: fat (avocado, MCT oil, etc), protein (collagen protein powder, hemp hearts), greens (spinach, etc.), liquid (almond, coconut milk or water), if you need something sweet add frozen berries.
https://blog.bulletproof.com/keto-green-smoothie-green-juice-recipes/
https://jjvirgin.com/recipe-matcha-blueberry-smoothie/
https://jjvirgin.com/size-matters-protein-shake-mistake/
• Overnight chia seed pudding
• Paleo granola (no grains)
https://cnz.to/recipes/breakfast/paleo-granola-recipe/
Things to add to your breakfast: nuts of all sorts (no peanuts), nut butters (no peanut butter), maca powder (high in Vit C and iron), cinammon, etc.
Hello! I am Magda and I work with people that are ready to transform their health and wellbeing. What are your health goals that you have not been able to reach? Read more about me and my services.
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