Do you remember what your parents and grandparents ate for breakfast? Eggs were usually the mainstay. They had the right idea. High protein breakfasts are your best bet to get going in the morning. But today, they’re getting increasingly rare.
Today, we’ll look at some of the new breakfast trends – and why they may not be your best choice. As an alternative, I’ll share with you some of my personal favorites.
Make a Return to Better Breakfast Foods
When the low-fat craze started decades ago, many turned their backs on the breakfast foods enjoyed fifty or sixty years ago. In their place, bread and cereal products took center stage.
Every day, millions of people reach for doughnuts, muffins, danish, bagels, croissants and hundreds of different cereals during their morning routine. And now would you believe – pizza?
Several pizza chains around the country are selling breakfast pizzas. Instead of tomato sauce and cheese, these breakfast pies come with scrambled eggs and bacon.
So what’s the problem here?
High-carb breakfasts do the opposite of what a good breakfast is supposed to do. Instead of feeling alert and energetic, today’s breakfasts make you fat, slow and tired.
In the morning, your body needs nutrients it can readily convert into energy. After going for nine to twelve hours without food, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Remember that the word breakfast literally means, “to break your fast.”
In spite of the eggs, an omelet pizza for breakfast gives you nothing but flour and sugar. No nutrients there. Pizza dough is so high in empty carbs; it’s guaranteed to spike your blood sugar.
Bagels and doughnuts are fun in the morning, but after the initial buzz, your blood sugar will sharply drop. This will leave you feeling tired and sluggish. You’ll also have trouble concentrating. And if you’re busy at the office, that’s bad news.
Don’t forget that spikes in blood sugar trigger a flood of insulin. Do that all the time and you’re on the fast track to obesity and chronic disease.
For Breakfast, Protein is King
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I try and change it up to keep it interesting, but meat or fish is always the centerpiece of my morning meal.
As strange as it may sound, fish is a fantastic breakfast food. The Japanese eat fish and vegetables first thing every morning. They have for over fifteen-hundred years.
To go with the meat or fish, I scramble some eggs and add a leafy vegetable – usually spinach. That way, I get a well-rounded meal; complete with lots of protein, essential nutrients and antioxidants.
When I leave the house, I’m full of energy. And I’ve never missed a day of work in my life.
If you really need a sugar fix, save it for the occasional desert. Don’t make it a part of your breakfast. The addiction may be hard to break, but you’ll be a lot happier – and more productive.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD