I always eat breakfast every day. My go to is usually an egg or two, some form of meat for added protein and a homemade nut/seed granola cereal with wild blueberries. Weekends are eggs and leftover vegetables with whatever else I have time to make.
The typical breakfast people tend to eat is flour based: cereal, bagels, pancakes, toast, french toast, muffins, donuts. That is the type of breakfast I grew up eating and gravitate to, but it would always leave me full and tired after eating. My current breakfast with protein, nuts/seeds/blueberries and leftover vegetables give me even energy to get things done instead of draining motivation.
In the 1600 – 1700’s breakfast in the United States was typically porridge or a cornmeal mush and possibly biscuits, ham, and grits in the south.
In the early 1800’s breakfast was a large meal to provide farm workers with energy for all of the hard work they did. Then in the mid 1800’s breakfast was quicker and smaller as people started working in factories and offices. In the later 1800’s – early 1900’s granola and cereals were created.
In the early 1900’s cereals were mass produced and became a breakfast staple along with bacon and eggs. The mid 1900’s saw a rise in packaged convenience foods like waffles and sweetened cereals targeted at kids. The late 1900’s saw an increase in fast food breakfasts and grab and go breakfasts like breakfast bars and muffins.
So far, the early 2000’s have seen a mix of breakfasts including coffee, pastries, high protein, packaged foods, fast food.
The majority of packaged foods are low protein, high carb and full of chemicals. Eating those for breakfast will elevate blood sugar and leave you feeling not great, which isn’t a good way to start the day. Most cereals, even Cheerios, are covered in pesticides. What you eat matters. When you eat also matters.
Skipping breakfast could lead to higher BMI, larger waist size, worse glucose control and higher cholesterol levels.
Some health experts say women in particular should eat breakfast that contains at least 30 grams of protein in the morning within 90 minutes of waking up to help lower cortisol, preserve muscle as we age and balance hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Lowering cortisol also helps with a sluggish thyroid.
Eating breakfast later than 8:30 am has also been linked to higher cardiovascular risk. Eating earlier is better because people are more insulin sensitive meaning it’s easier for the body to process carbohydrates which stabilizes blood sugar and energy levels.
It’s also recommended to eat within the same eating window every day for better calorie reduction and weight loss. A 12 hour fasting window between dinner and breakfast is recommended. Move dinner earlier if needed to meet that window when eating breakfast earlier. I was eating about 4 1/2 hours after waking up and 4 hours after working out. That wreaked havoc on my thyroid numbers. I’ve since moved breakfast to 2 1/2 hours after waking up and 2 hours after working out and feel better.
Challenge:
Asses your breakfast habits. If you skip breakfast, try eating something small like hardboiled eggs and a cup of berries within 60 – 90 minutes of waking up. My go to breakfast is a hardboiled egg with a side of leftover meat for added protein and a small bowl of homemade granola. I pre-make the eggs and granola and throw things together in the morning.
If you do eat breakfast, verify there is a 12 hour window between when you finish dinner and when you start eating breakfast.
Resources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6893547/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43444-3
https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/best-time-to-eat-breakfast-rcna196020
https://www.whoop.com/us/en/thelocker/podcast-132-dr-stacy-sims-female-nutrition/