Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Don’t skip it. Try to eat within an hour of getting out of bed.
When you skip breakfast, you aren’t giving your brain and body the fuel it needs to jump-start your day.
Without it you may find yourself sluggish and hangry (hungry & angry). You may not be able to concentrate or perform to the best of your ability. This is definitely a bad way to start any day.
Eventually when you do decide to eat you may look for a quick fix like a candy bar, pastry, bucket of fried chicken or even a whole pizza. Which are all bad ideas to start your day as well. Some of those choices will also leave you sluggish immediately after digesting them and the others will give you a quick rush and drop you back into the sluggishness.
Be sure to make your breakfast just as nutrient dense as the rest of your meals. 25% good protein/fat/carbs and 75% veggies.
Breakfast can be a piece of steak, collard greens, broccoli, and roasted sweet potatoes. It can also be a stir fry with shrimp, cabbage, carrots, onions, zucchini or a hash with chopped sweet potatoes, sausage, onions, brussels sprouts, and swiss chard. A salad with a piece of chicken, fish, or other protein also makes a great breakfast. There is also eggs (a form of protein) if you can tolerate them and aren’t AIP. Just remember the ratios 25/75 -Protein/Vegetables.
Let’s not forget bacon…yes, bacon (pork/turkey/chicken). Just make sure it is uncured (this is still actually cured but naturally without using chemicals), nitrate-free, antibiotic free, free of any ingredients you are sensitive to. Choose Sugar Free also if sugar is one of the ingredients you are avoiding/sensitive to. Sometimes you may see sugar listed in the ingredients for companies that use sugar in the curing process but see 0 grams in the nutritional fact label which is okay.
Now some of you are probably thinking, “what about waffles, pancakes, a bowl of cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars/drinks, home fries, and grits?” Unfortunately, the ingredients in these conventional breakfast foods can often wreak havoc in our systems and cause the same results that eating that chocolate eclair or pepperoni pizza causes. Plus, if you are following a paleo/aip/whole 30 lifestyle, those foods/ingredients are forbidden.
I know…I know you will miss the heavier, sweeter, carbohydrate laden, more convenient foods but eventually I will share with you other options and substitutes including waffles, pancakes, biscuits, and other breakfast favorites…just with healthier ingredients.
Some of the options mentioned may be unconventional and may even sound unappetizing. All I can say is don’t knock it until you try it. After all…this is for your health, so definitely try it.
One of my favorite and maybe even easiest breakfasts are a simple stir fry. Your choice of protein and veggies stir fried with fresh ginger/garlic/herbs/spices/coconut aminos/fish sauce/healthy oil. I normally make a big batch and fill meal prep containers. I then put them in the fridge or/and freezer…some to eat now and some to eat later.
Below, my choice of protein was ground beef and vegetables were cabbage, carrots, onions, broccoli, and zucchini. Not a really pretty picture but it is quite tasty.
Which breakfast or combos mentioned above are you willing to begin your day with?
