Man's Take Magazine

Eating a Healthy Breakfast

According to Burger King®, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s not often your fitness coach quotes a fast food restaurant for nutrition information, but this is probably the one case where I actually agree with the King of Grease and Sodium, creepy as he may be.

Our society has flipped nutrition and meal structure upside down for various social reasons. We try to cram the calories in at the end of the day when we’re getting ready to rest, rather than the beginning of the day when we’re ready to be active (well some of us are active, the rest of you sit in front of your computer all day). We like to relax in the evenings and stuff ourselves to near bursting. We combat the evening food coma with a burst of sugar and fat that we call dessert.

Generally speaking the timing of caloric intake is not going to make or break a weight loss plan, despite what some folks will try to tell you. However, it can make a significant difference in your energy level throughout the day, and have some minor effects on fat storage from high-glycemic carbohydrates (refined sugars/grains).

If you eat sweets or refined grains (white flour for example) right before you go to bed, your body begins storing the excess blood sugar as fat because your energy level is not high enough to burn it off. This is not to say you should be eating junk food during the day instead, because that same sugar load causes insulin spikes (regardless of time of day) that actually can drop your blood sugar, resulting in that exhausted “crash.” Many of us experience that as the food coma that follows lunch.

The bottom line here is that what you eat is more important than when you eat it, but good timing still has tremendous value. That is why it’s vital to eat a healthy breakfast each day. When you skip breakfast you tend to overeat later in the day when your energy levels are decreasing. Instead, start off with a solid meal as your energy levels increase so you can use calories as they come in, rather than getting your body into a pattern of storing calories and burning reserves later.

Most capable nutritionists will tell you that to lose weight or maintain weight, you need to keep your metabolism high. This is accomplished by eating several small meals each day (5-6). Those trying to lose weight often starve themselves by eating one large meal each day. While this seems like it would work, it throws the body into conservation/starvation mode where it stores as many calories as possible (body fat) and then burns the stored reserves throughout the day.

In our society we are fortunate enough to be able to fight the survival instincts of the body because we are unlikely to be starved enough to need those reserves to live. By consuming the calories as they’re needed, the body adapts and starts spending the calories that come in, and discarding some of the overabundance instead of storing as much as possible.

I mentioned earlier that one of the primary reasons for eating breakfast is to increase your energy level in the morning and keep it up throughout the day. The key here is to eat moderate meals that are high in lean protein, whole fruits and vegetables, low in refined sugars and saturated fat, and free of trans fat and chemicals such as artificial sweeteners.

The simplest rule is whenever possible eat foods in their most natural form. In the morning, eat a whole orange instead of having a glass of orange juice. A single orange has a great deal of fiber to control the digestion of sugars. A glass of orange juice has little to no fiber and contains the sugar of 6-12+ oranges.

Whole fruit is great for breakfast or for a morning snack (pre-workout or mid-morning) because it releases a controlled quantity of sugar that gives you energy without the excess that produces an insulin surge followed by an exhausting crash. I suggest you try to get at least a little bit of lean protein with your breakfast along with some fiber to keep you feeling full.

You can add extra protein to your breakfast by adding a slice or two of low-sodium, lean lunch meat or by drinking a glass of skim milk or a whey protein shake. Be sure that the sugars you get are balanced by fiber (which moderates digestion and keeps you feeling full for longer). The easiest way to get fiber is by eating foods in their most natural form.

Overall you want to try to keep your sugar intake for breakfast at 5g or less, and your fiber intake at 5g or more. Watch out for dense carbohydrate rich foods such as bagels. I’m pretty sure I don’t need to tell you that donuts are not healthy. Instead of muffins, bagels, or donuts, choose whole grain breads and muffins that are made with 100% unbleached, unenriched whole grain and little to no added sugar.

Try to keep your saturated fat intake low, but raise your intake of monounsaturated fat. Switch to oils such as Smart Balance for cooking and add nuts to your meals or snacks.

Dairy products are high in saturated fat, so I suggest you use low fat or skim products. Many people advocate yogurt, but most brands are filled with sugar or artificial sweeteners. You want low-fat, unsweetened yogurt, then mix it with fresh fruit and/or whole grain cereals.

Here are a few ideas for a healthy breakfast.

Omelet with Ham/Turkey, Peppers, Onions, Cheese, etc…

Apple Spears (or Whole Wheat Toast) with Natural/Organic Peanut Butter

Oatmeal with Fresh Fruit and Whey Protein Powder

Whole Grain Cereal (High Fiber, Low Sugar ) w/ Skim Milk

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait – Plain Low Fat Yogurt, Fresh Fruit, Whole Grain Granola

Breakfast Burrito Whole Grain Wrap, or Use Romaine Lettuce) – Fill with Eggs, Lunch Meat and Low Fat Cheese.

To-Go: Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bar, Banana/Apple, Milk

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1. Manly Meals – Simple, Healthy Cooking for Men
2. Issue #4 – Cover

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