You have probably been told since you were a little kid that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Maybe hearing it makes you roll your eyes, but there is actually a lot of truth to that statement. Yes, all meals are important, but eating a balanced, healthy breakfast can be extremely beneficial!
Why is Breakfast Important?
Okay, first let’s think this through… you have just been asleep for 8ish hours and haven’t eaten anything in at least that long. That is a pretty long time for your body to go without any fuel in your system and it means you start your day in a calorie deficit. At that point, if you skip breakfast, you are expecting your body to function at 100% with a depleted fuel tank and that usually doesn’t go over well in the long run.
Whether you are wanting to lose weight, improve athletic performance, manage a chronic health condition, improve your overall health, or anything else, the key is giving your body the nutrients that it needs, at the time that it needs them. This helps your body feel safe, protected, and comfortable which can then allow it to function at full capacity, and let go of excess weight it doesn’t need.
Eating breakfast can also help to regulate hormone levels, including your hunger and fullness hormones, making it easier to listen to your body and give it the appropriate amount of calories. Eating regular meals and snacks throughout the day, starting with breakfast, helps you avoid getting overly hungry to a point where you overeat and feel sluggish or even sick!
What About Intermittent Fasting?
But what if you are doing intermittent fasting and your eating window doesn’t start until later in the day? Well, my blunt response to that is to throw intermittent fasting out the window 🙂
Intermittent fasting is working against your body’s needs because it is not providing you with the calories and nutrients it needs, when it needs them! If you are following a diet like Intermittent Fasting and are unable to keep up with it and keep falling off the bandwagon, let me let you in on a little secret- it actually isn’t a lack of willpower! That is just what happens when you fight against your body- it eventually takes over to get you back on track.
What if I am Not Hungry in the Mornings or if Eating in the Morning Makes me Feel Sick?
One of the most common rebuttals I hear to eating breakfast is that people don’t feel hungry in the morning, or they feel sick after they eat. This is usually because your body has gotten used to its eating pattern and when you have ignored hunger signals in the morning for such a long time, your body literally gives up on sending them to you! It might just take a little bit of time to make it feel normal again.
Still, it isn’t fun to eat when you aren’t hungry or when you feel sick and nauseous. Here are a few tips that you can try out in the mornings to minimize that sick feeling and stimulate hunger signals:
- Start with liquids- they tend to be a little easier to get down on an empty stomach, especially when you don’t feel like eating food. This could include chocolate milk, Carnation Breakfast Essentials, a protein shake, a smoothie, a liquid yogurt, etc.
I talk to clients so much about listening to their bodies, but it is also important to remember that if you haven’t been properly taking care of your body, it might not be giving you the most accurate signals. After a little while of “resetting” your system, you should be able to better rely on those cues!
- Try splitting up your breakfast and doing a little bit when you first wake up, followed by the rest an hour or so later.
- Eat what sounds good to you. Eating something is better than eating nothing, and as important as it is to balance meals, just start somewhere!
What if I Workout in the Morning?
Having a bunch of food sitting in your stomach can make for a not-so-fun workout. BUT, think this through again… your body has been without fuel throughout the night and then you are about to put it through an intense workout without any fuel in the system. Can you see how that might stress your body out?
The foods that you choose to eat before a morning workout can definitely have a huge impact on your energy levels and how you feel during exercise. The closer you get to exercise, the more carbs you should eat- and the less fat and protein. If you are rolling out of bed and heading straight to the gym, you might want to try out one of these high-carb snacks to get a little bit of fuel in your system:
- Dried mangos
- Banana
- Applesauce
- Chocolate milk
- Fruit juice
- Toast with jam
- Pretzels
- Crackers
- Fruit leather
- Fruit snacks
- Canned peaches
With not a lot of time to fuel before exercise, you might also consider bringing a high-carb snack or sports drink with you to keep your energy levels up during your workout. And remember, eat a full balanced breakfast when you get back to make sure you are giving your body the nutrients to recover and get stronger!
What Does a Healthy, Balanced Breakfast Look Like?
Take some time to experiment with your breakfast and make it fun, but focus on choosing a starch, a protein, and a fruit. Throw in some healthy fats too! Ultimately, it is best to eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up, but you might need to ease into things and give your body the time to adjust.
What is your next yummy, balanced breakfast going to be? Bon appetit!
– Jessica Ashton, MS, RDN, CD
