The first meal of our day has been a hot topic over the last while, especially with the rise of intermittent fasting. In the last few months I’ve done protocol’s where I have breakfast, and others where I skip it. If I have it, it usually looks like what I’m about to talk about. If I skip it, the first meal of my day will look like what I’m about to talk about anyways…
So I basically always have breakfast. It’s just that sometimes I have it a few hours after waking up. Again, depending on how my schedule is.
YOUR Breakfast
Our breakfasts are usually high in carbohydrates. Cereal’s dominate our breakfast routine because, well, they taste awesome, the boxes are great reading material, and they save parents from having to actually do something in the morning. Thus, we grow up with high sugar, low protein, and low nutritional value to start the day.
High carb breakfasts also feed our fat cells. So even if you go the healthy route and eat oatmeal, it’s still not the best thing for your fitness goals.
Now what about NON-fitness related effects of high carbohydrate breakfasts. How do high carbs and low fat breakfasts effect our brains and our ability to think and maintain focus?
Is Your Breakfast Killing You?
… Your quality of your life and work that is…
Let’s take the “it’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years”, outlook that Mr. Abe Lincoln gave us, and apply it to the effectiveness of our breakfast.
Carbohydrates give us a spike in energy that results in a subsequent fall, or crash. Ever get really tired around 10 or 11 am? I used to routinely. In high school this was my nap time. In college this was when I’d head to my car or the basketball team room and catch a quick nap in hopes of regaining the focus and energy that I started the day with.
Enter the Meat & Nuts & Eggs & Veggies Breakfast
Too many and’s? Well you can make your alterations, but here’s the gist of it… and I’m going to make this as simple and as straight forward as possible…
Meat in the morning is good because:
1. Slows the rise of blood sugar.
Keeping our blood sugar stable keeps us in fat burning mode. If our blood sugar rises, like it does when we have those high-carb cereals, we release insulin. Insulin is a storage hormone. So when we eat these cereals insulin takes the carbohydrates that we don’t use as energy (a lot of them) and stores them as fat for future use.
2. Increase testosterone levels.
Nuts in the morning are good because:
1. The omega 3’s in nuts help promote brain activity.
Omega 3’s, found in nuts and fish oils help promote brain activity. Thus we’re going to be able to focus, and think, more effectively.
2. Increase testosterone levels (the fats).
3. Keep blood sugar at a steady level for a longer period.
Eggs in the morning are good because:
1. PACKED full of nutrients.
2. Boost testosterone levels.
Vegetables in the morning are good because:
1. All of these meats make our bodies acidic and put us in a catabolic state (bad for building muscle). Greens, whether in powder form – like these – of vegetable form help us remain alkaline (opposite of acidic).
Meats, fats, and proteins are GREAT for our health and fitness goals, but we need balance. Greens provide this balance.
2. They’re full of nutrients that we won’t find in our diets if we exclude greens (example: vitamin K).
I like using greens powder upon rising and after a workout to ensure that my body’s in an alkaline state. Also eat a portion (a cup) of veggies with EVERY meal.
The EXTRA’s
I also have 3-5 grams of fish oils right when I wake up, as well as 3,000-5,000 IU of vitamin D.
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Here’s what I use:
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What to Eat
Here are some examples of meats, nuts, and veggies we can be consuming. It’s important to rotate protein sources, especially within the
same day, to mix up the amino acids we’re taking in.
Meats
Bison meat (VERY high in protein) – beef burgers – steak – turkey burgers – fish – fish burgers – chicken – venison
Try and go grass fed when you’re getting beef or bison. They pump these animals full of hormones, not to mention that the feed they’re giving them often contains beef (yes, the beef you get that isn’t grass fed is usually cannibal beef).
Nuts
Brazil nuts – almonds – sunflower seeds – cashews – walnuts – macadamia nuts
I start every day off with Brazil nuts as a way to maintain high testosterone levels (I also have 3 before I go to bed).
Veggies
Kale – brocoli – brocolini – peas – Greens powder (my favorite)
When you’re in a rush, Greens powder is an EXCELLENT alternative. It’s also packed full of veggies that we won’t normally have in our diets.
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Another great resource for meal ideas including the meat, nuts, eggs, and veggies breakfast is Dave Ruel’s Anabolic Cookbook.
Get it at a massive discount —> Click Here
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