What should you eat for breakfast?

/

The research is clear when it comes to breakfast.

Contrary to what personal trainers and popular media say, all the scientific evidence & research done on breakfast point to the same conclusions:

  1. You don’t need to eat breakfast: in fact, people who skip breakfast end up consuming less calories during the rest of the day and lose more fat;

  2. You don’t even need to have breakfast before your workout: the human body stores over 1500Cal of glucose and over 50,000Cal of fat: use what you stored to fuel your workout!

  3. Avoid carbs at breakfast: you glycogen (glucose) stores are almost full when you wake up. If you eat carbs, there is no place for your body to put it, so your liver converts it into triglycerides. The body burns fat at lower activity levels and only starts burning carbs when your heart rates goes above a certain level (exercising hard).

  4. The only exception to #3 is: if you’re going to do a very long AND very hard workout (e.g. a marathon), then having a bit of slow digesting carbs is a good idea. It will kick in as your existing stores get used up.

SO! This being the case, what CAN you eat for breakfast? Here is what I personally do and what I recommend:

  1. Prior to your workout: nothing. The human body evolved over 800,000 years to: wake up, hunt (be active), THEN eat, not the other way around.

  2. If you’re not working out: nothing! Fast. Make lunch as your first meal of the day. The research 100% supports it for for improving insulin sensitivity, lowering blood glucose levels, and helping you lose fat.

  3. After low intensity workout: e.g. cardio, walking, endurance swimming, running, cycling, etc. protein and a bit of fat (women should add a “bit” of carbs here). You want to teach your body to burn fat at low intensities (endurance), so avoiding carbs after such a workout will active additional fat burning enzymes (called hormone-sensitive lipase). You need the protein for muscle repair.

  4. Post high intensity workout: e.g. Crossfit, HIIT, weight lifting, fast running, swimming, cycling, etc. protein and carbs, minimize fat. In such workouts, you’re burning primarily stored glucose, so you’ll need to replenish that with some carbs. You’re also causing significant muscle damage, so you’ll need protein to repair.

Ideas for protein & fat breakfast:

  • Eggs (protein & fat)

  • Salmon (protein & fat)

  • Avocado (fat)

  • Zaatar with olive oil (fat)

  • Cheese, labneh, yoghurt (protein & fat)

  • Raw nuts (fat)

  • Good quality meats / sausages (protein & fat)

  • Protein shakes (protein)

Ideas for adding carbs at breakfast:

  • Oatmeal (carbs) - add protein powder if you’d like

  • Sourdough bread (carbs) - add salmon, cheese, eggs for protein

  • Homemade Granola (carbs) - add yogurt or milk for protein

  • Fruits (carbs)

  • Pancakes / waffles (carbs mainly)

  • Honey (carbs)

  • Potatoes (carbs) - don’t deep fry them!

And always add vegetables when you can for micronutrients!

Enjoy!

Untitled design (75).jpg