I eat the weirdest things at breakfast.
Why? Because I’ve always had trouble consuming traditional breakfast foods like cold cereal, Oatmeal, Bagels, Toast, pancakes, fruit smoothies and fruity yogurts. They make me drowsy and I wind up going back to bed!
So I started to eat sardines, mackerel and herring (I think might have Viking Blood in me!)
I love to start my day with fish like salmon, cod, crab and shrimp.
I’ll eat chicken, scrambled eggs with low fat cheese or meats from last night’s dinner.
My early morning 4:00 am pre- cardio meal is high protein unsweetened dairy like Cottage cheese, Kefir, and Greek Yogurt.
Over the past few months I have been looking at some research on why going high protein and lower carb in the morning is an idea backed by science.
Hey I love carbs! I think you need to eat the whole variety and the processed versions – they all have their place in everyones diet
Here I am just referring to restraining yourself in the morning and eating your carbs later in the day. Prioritize protein first thing for better outcomes. But everyone is different- so if you need your Captain Crunch first thing – by all means enjoy!
HERE ARE FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1) A HIGH PROTEIN BREAKFAST WILL RAISE YOUR METABOLIC RATE and increase your overall daily calorie burn.
Why? Protein has a higher calorie cost for digestion. A 2018 study from Harvard Medical School showed that low carb breakfast eaters burned off 209 more calories per day than carb centric eaters.
2) A LOW CARB BREAKFAST WILL KEEP YOUR HUNGER IN CHECK.
Why? The same Harvard study found that high protein eaters had less of the hunger hormone Ghrelin and more of the hormone leptin that suppresses hunger
3) A LOWER CARB BREAKFAST WILL KEEP YOU FULLER LONGER
Protein is #1 when it comes to satiety and the satisfaction that you’ve had enough. Carb eaters were hungrier sooner and felt less satisfaction from the meals they ate. By 10:00 AM they were reaching for another carb based snack
4) LOWER CARBS MAY HELP YOU LOSE BELLY FAT.
Numerous studies from the past decade connected the fat that forms around you midsection ( the spare tire or Pooch) with Metabolic Syndrome-
This fat is metabolically active and cause inflammation system wide that leads to higher rates of Cancer, diabetes and heart disease –especially in men.
A reduced carb higher protein plan can reduce the “visceral” belly fat by 15%/ The visceral belly fat is the Beer Belly your uncle had when you were a kid. It was like a big hard beach ball and you liked to punch it! Subcutaneous fat is the fat jiggles on the rest of your body.
SO HOW DO YOU PUT THIS INTO PRACTICE?
Again I am not saying to ELIMINATE carbs from you breakfast, but to increase the ratio to a higher % of protein.
And yes- you must eat good carbs from all sources – breakfast lunch and dinner. But don’t forget to include 20- 30 grams protein at every meal if you want the additional metabolism boosting benefits.
Here are some examples to put that into practice
MICROWAVED EGGS IN A BOWL with a half cup of blueberries
Scramble 1 egg and 2-3 egg whites together with a ¼ cup milk or water
Microwave for two minutes. Scramble and stir ( and if you like add a ¼ cup of low fat cheese)
Return to the microwave for one more minute and serve- You can place it on a plate or eat it out of the bowl. Add salt and pepper or your favorite spices.
28 grams of protein 11 grams of carbs
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt 7 walnuts and sugar free maple syrup
24 grams of protein and 15 grams of carbs
Dairy Duo-
Combine a half cup of cottage with a cup of Kefir yogurt drink add no cal sweetener and ½ cup of frozen raspberries or blackberries
25 grams of protein 14 grams of carbs
¼ cup of TVP – textured vegetable protein - that is similar to Grape Nuts (available from Bob’s Redmill at most major markets) with almond milk, sweetener and ½ scoop of whey protein powder stirred together.
30 grams of protein 15 grams of carbs.
For more ideas on what to eat I have several guidebooks with recipes for fast and healthy meals,
Email me hartbody@gmail.com