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Whether you are of the population of those obsessed with all things breakfast and would happily eat it for all of your meals, or of the morning roadrunners who barely has time to consider food while grabbing some kind of bar that is flavored to assimilate a treat that is not meant to be consumed for breakfast; it is hard to believe that after years of advancement in nutrition, as well as the success of many intermittent fasters, that breakfast is still touted as the most important. How can it be that it is the “most important” but thousands have diminished waistlines by tossing it out altogether?

Benefits

Your morning rituals are what set you up for the rest of the day. The first thing that goes into your body is what begins to regulate not only your hormones (as mentioned in the cortisol article) but your bodily functions in its entirety. A full glass of water first thing in the morning helps encourage your body’s ability to flush what has been digested and detoxified while you slept and adding a bit of citrus and salt can aide in that completion altogether.

Because your body requires energy for everything that you do, when you eat breakfast your body begins thermogenesis which kickstarts your metabolism and begins burning calories at a more active rate.

There are some who after eating breakfast go on to not eat as much throughout the day, especially when receiving the right nutrients first thing in the morning. But when it comes to those who succeed at weight loss through intermittent fasting, the answer lies more clearly in creating a deficit of food consumed and less about time fasted. Often, if you tend to be a person who under eats during the day (or is simply too busy at work to find the time), you are more likely to binge in excess at night fixated on those feel-good foods that give a quick energy return (carbs and sugar). Whereas, it is a much simpler solution when changing someones daily caloric intake, to take away a meal first thing in the morning (where if you ate the majority of your calories in the evening, are likely not yet hungry), then it is to stop a hardworking or stressed individual to eat less at night.

Which foods reign supreme?

When it comes to balancing your breakfast, focus on fat and protein. Your protein intake helps regulate your immune system, your body’s ability to detoxify, and then goes to your muscles. Fat helps stabilize blood sugar levels and is fuel for brain function and cognition.  

My personal go-to’s

  • Egg scramble (I use 3), 1/2 avocado, shaved pecorino
  • Egg scramble, with sauteed peas, baby kale, ricotta & mint
  • Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (full fat) w/ nuts, seeds and berries
Peach & berry coconut protein oats

An apple a day?

Many believe that fruit should be eaten first thing with nothing else in accompaniment This makes sense in regard to food pairing and does support your digestive health with its ease of not fighting through slower to digest foods (like fat), but to spike your blood sugar levels with fast-digesting carbs and sugar (depending on the fruit) it will only make you more sensitive to carbs and sugars, as well as promote cravings for the rest of the day. If you like fruit first thing, stick to berries.