What to do for breakfast ?

This is one of our most frequently asked questions and it’s easy to understand why. We have always been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it makes sense that we would want to make sure we get it right. But in order to get it right we need to start by taking a closer look at what we actually doing by “breaking” the “fast”. By understanding what’s going on with us before, during and after breakfast, we can make the necessary adjustments to ensure optimal performance and health from the beginning of our day. 

Before breaking the fast: When we wake up, our body is in a fasting state. When our body is in this state it is literally using stored energy to operate. Our body is burning fat.

Breaking the fast: When we consume our first meal, especially if it is carbohydrates, our pancreas begins to secrete insulin, which is a hormone in our liver, muscle and fat cells. When our body secretes insulin we start absorbing energy and stop breaking down energy. Our body stops burning fat and storing it instead.

After breaking the fast: Our body is now converting and using glucose derived from liver glycogen as its primary source of blood glucose used by the rest of the body for fuel.

So when we wake-up your body is a fat burning machine. We put a stop to this by eating and raising our insulin levels. By eating, especially carbohydrates, we are telling our body to stop burning fat and to start storing what we eat so it can be converted and used for energy to run our body. 

Think about it. Our ancestors were hunter/gatherers and nocturnal eaters by nature. As a species we are programmed to use our stored energy for daily activities like foraging, hunting & running away from danger. In the evening when at rest, we then eat to refuel our energy stores for the day ahead.

When we wake up, our body already has the fuel in the tank and is doing a fantastic job at using it. Now that we know what’s happening, it makes things clearer as to how get our bodies back in sync with using energy efficiently as it has been programmed over thousands of years.

We want to keep our bodies burning fat for as long as possible and we can achieve this by keeping our body from secreting insulin. Carbohydrates will send our insulin levels rising fast, so we want to definitely avoid these at all costs. High levels of protein can also send our insulin levels up so keeping these to a minimal in the morning is essential.

Reccomendation

mrmrsmuscle_breakfast_coffee

Start the day off with a strong black coffee with no sugar. Roasted coffee beans contain chemicals called cholinomimetics that are minor stimulants, but also suppress hunger.

Supercharge the morning coffee by blending it with high quality fats. These can be found in grass-fed butter which is full of omega -6 to omega 3 fatty acids. Coconut oil/butter is another great source of fats and is the second best source of lauric acid.  Lauric acid boosts immunity and destroys harmful bacteria, viruses, and funguses. If you wondering what the first best source is, it’s your mothers breast milk. 

Bone Broth is also a great choice to start your day. Granted we are getting a good quality broth made from grass-fed organic animal bones, we can expect a super-rich source of protein, collagen, proline, glycine and glutamine that have the power to transform your health.

When eating out for breakfast, don't feel as though you have to miss out. Order a long back and have the bacon and eggs or salmon and avocado. Just ask for no toast.

All these choices will keep the body burning fat for fuel and keep the insulin levels in check. As well as feeling fuller till later in the day, there is also a nice energy boost at the beginning of the day.

Special Exception

When doing a heavy weight lifting or High Intensity Interval Training first thing in the morning, a meal after our workout is allowed. This meal can contain carbohydrates and proteins as our body looks to replenish our depleted muscle glycogen stores.

Final Thoughts

In today’s world of over abundance where the only hunting and gathering involves going to the fridge, kitchen cupboard, closest café/restaurant or picking up the phone to order our next meal, we as a species are storing more energy than we need. Now there are always exceptions, but the vast majority reading this want to get rid of the excess energy the body has been storing around the stomach, hips, thighs and bum to name but a few areas.

Breaking our fast in an effectively thought out manner is just one small step we can take towards getting our body running efficiently and healthy from the start of the day.

Well hopefully this has been some good food, or in this case coffee for thought. Please let us know what you think and feel free to ask questions via the chat feature or the comments sections and stay up-to-date with our latest content on FacebookInstagram, LinkedIn & Twitter, as we do our part in making the world a healthier place. 

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