Tell me what you have for breakfast I will tell you who you will be in the months to come! Food has an important impact upon our lives, and the more we do research the more we discover what it brings us, in good or bad!
But I hear you comin’, my fellow steemians.
“I have my Cheerios every morn’, so I’m fine”. “I skip breakfast because I’m not hungry in the morning.” or “I don’t have time to eat breakfast”. Well… that ain’t a good enough excuse for me, dear.
Before I dissect these way too common for good kinda questions, let’s get real for a second.
Why is breakfast so important?
Because it’s the first meal of the day, and for your body to properly reboot after sleeping, it needs energy, which comes from food.
The night is like fasting for your body, so feeding him the right stuff to start fresh again is essential.
What’s technically wrong with my Cheerios? (works with jammy toasts as well)
Cereals, like toast with butter and jam, have a high glycemic index, which means that they will be broken down by our organism so fast it won’t last until lunch time!
No! Just a cup of joe doesn’t count as breakfast!!! Coffee works the same way. Caffeine is released quickly in the organism and its effects wear out as fast as they came.
All that quick fix sugary breakfast makes our body produce insulin, which is definitely not good in the morning. All of that fast breakdown is tiring for our system, which makes us feel tired and hungry, and it’s not even 10:30 yet!
What does a good breakfast sounds like then?
A great breakfast should be prepared around :
- Quality protein (no steak don’t worry!), like eggs or full fat greek yogurt.
- Good quality fat (yes, Fat, you read right!), that means almonds, nuts,
- A piece of fruit, no juice, the real deal is much better that already made stuff.
That’s it. No need to had more things to it. But I can already hear you :”Frenchy, that’s lovely but the café-croissant combo for breakfast is irreplaceable for me”.
Well, here are better substitutes :
Swap the coffee for green tea, as it contains some catechins, a brilliant antioxidants to prevent cancer.
As for the croissant, you can have cereal based produce for breakfast, but choose them with a low glycemic index like leavened wholegrain bread or country muesli, or porridge even better.
If you are use to a sweet breakfast, it will take a little while to get use to the savory side, but then, if the Brits, the Germans and highly successful people can do it, so can you!
What are the results of a breakfast like this ?
The components of these breakfast will have a slower release into our system, so our energy level will be constant throughout the morning.
This slow release of energy will have you eat less at lunchtime, just because you are not feeling that hungry. Less food for lunch, no slug-feeling time in the afternoon, just lovely constant energy. And then when dinner comes, you won’t need to eat like a family of three.
The circle closes again the following day for breakfast, as you will be hungry again, and that’s normal after having fasted throughout the night. So we repeat the same process :)
What do I do if I'm not hungry in the morning ?
A lot of people are not hungry in the morning because they are not eating what they should be when they should be doing so. Try having a lighter diner, like a soup with a piece of bread and so for a few days. Your body will be soon feeling hungry in the morning :)
We tend to overeat in the evening, when the biggest meal of the day should technically be breakfast! By swapping the quantities around, our body will fall back into its own natural rhythm.
But I don't have the time to prepare breakfast in the morning ?
If you don't take the time to prepare your breakfast, you set yourself to fail. I know it sounds harsh, but the first thing you need to consider is what you need instead of what you want. (check out the French Londoner's 3 Pillars to Health for more explanation)
If you need to work on your routine to fit breakfast in, do it! Seriously. I use to be like you, waking up 20 minutes before I had to be at the tube station, skipping breakfast to grab a venti chai tea latte and a doughnut at my local Starbucks, and feeling so freakin' tired when came 10:30 that I was like a kid at school waiting for canteen time!
It's worth the time investment, trust me. Since then, I have most of my day done by 10:30 and I feel fine waiting for lunch, and taking the salad, not feeling hungry by 3pm that I need another sweet fix...
If you really, really don't have the time, prepare things up in the evening. Like my porridge is waiting in the fridge, ready to be microwaved as I head to the shower. Prepare things up the evening before so, you wake up ready.
If you like this post, vote for it, re-steem it, and comment on it. And remember, life’s too short not to share good stuff with others! So share with me what you’ve learn from this post, or your point of view on the matter. I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time.
The French Londoner
(DISCLAIMER : Please bear in mind that I am no health practitioner and that all changes to your routine should be done under the supervision of a health or medical specialist.)
(Sources for pics : Unsplash.com)