The Pulse

Building Breakfast

It is amazing that Breakfast has become a controversial topic in 2019:

Do I Eat or Fast?

What Do I Eat?     Carbs? Fat? Protein?

How much Time should be between my Breakfast and Workout?

Does Coffee count as Breakfast?

Am I “Allowed” to Eat Fruit for Breakfast?

Can I Eat the Same Thing Everyday?

 

The List of Questions, some necessary, some idiotic, is almost endless.

When did we get away from “the Most Important Meal of the day” Theme that Breakfast had Owned for so long?

 

More Importantly, Where are You Getting Your Information, Beliefs and Habits regarding Breakfast + Nutrition from? Relatives? Journals of Medicine? Friends who are “Fit”? Friends who aren’t “Fit”? I am truly interested to know!

 

Breakfast, as a simple working definition, is your 1st Meal of the Day upon “Rising” …

Whether you have a Full Day that starts with a Workout, Work, or Kids (Clearly the most Difficult), having enough Energy is Key to Your Success…

Sleep is clearly Important, and somehow still “Under-Valued”, even when the Literature and Evidence continues to pile up…  Sleep Re-charges the Body, and is Essential to the Healing that occurs each Day…

 

Exercise is also Important, as we build our “Capacity”: to Do “More”, to do it for Longer, and to Do it Better…

 

Nutrition, the Rabbit Hole of Rabbit Holes, is as Complex as it is Simple: Eating Breakfast, which typically the 1st Meal after (a long) Rest, helps fuel the Body for the coming Activities…

Studies have long shown that Students who consume Breakfast typically Score higher Academically than those who don’t Eat…

Studies also Demonstrate that Athletes Performance on Game Day strongly correlates to a Strong Breakfast…

The Human Brain requires large amounts of energy “to Run the Store” for your Actions, Decisions, and Everything in-between…

That fuel is typically provided by Eating Breakfast.

What You eat Matters, as Quality is an Important Determinant in Everything You Do.

This is the long form of saying that Breakfast is accepted as Necessary and Beneficial for those who regularly participate…

Arguments?

 

Let’s get to those Burning Questions that we touched on earlier…

Eat or Fast?

         Fasting can be beneficial for Fat Loss, but not Performance. If you have to Think, React, Move, or Sustain during your Day, then Fasting is not for you* (Intermittent Fasting is much more complex than “Don’t Eat then Eat”, and discuss whether this Method is right for you before Experimenting) …

 

What Should you Eat?

         Real Food. Carbohydrates (Oatmeal, Whole Grain Bread, Vegetables, Pancakes, etc.)

Fat (Avocado, Nut Butter, Cheese*, etc.) and Protein (Eggs, Milk, Greek Yogurt, Ham, Chicken, Sausage, etc.) and as much as possible should be Prepared by You!

 

How Much Time should I take between My Breakfast and Workout?

         It Varies. Everyone is different, and I have seen People need ~2hrs and also People finish Eating as they are walking in. I try to have at least 30min between Food and Workout, but in the a.m., I actually prefer 45min (part of that is Having the Time to Eat slowly). Find whatever works for You and Plan it Out!

 

Can Coffee count as Breakfast.

         Yes and No. Coffee is a Big Part of the Morning Process for countless People everyday. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are everywhere for a reason, People Love Coffee.

Some Love it for the Taste, many Love it for the Caffeine and the Energy it Provides.

Coffee can be Part of a Good Breakfast but is never considered Breakfast by itself.

Pair it up with some Food so that Your Energy lasts as long as your workout, Day, etc…

 

Are You “Allowed” to Eat Fruit for Breakfast?

         What? Hell Yes! You are allowed to eat Fruit, Vegetables, and as much of both at any time. Oranges-house them down. Watermelon, just spit the seeds. Grapes, Plums, Peaches, just have a napkin handy. Yes, Fruit is broken down into Sugar in the Body. It also contains many Vitamins, Minerals, Nutrients and Fiber that the Body needs and can use rapidly… I would also suggest that Fruit is rarely, if ever, the “Thing” that is putting People, Their Diets or their Health over the edge and into “UnHealthy”.

Fruit is making a Comeback Baby!!!

 

Can I Eat the Same Thing Everyday?

         What? Hell No! Repetitive Eating may be Simple and Easier (in the Short-Term), it is not a Valid Strategy Long-Term. It inevitably happens, that People say, “I could Eat This Forever”, and then Get Sick of the Food(s) that they once Loved.

Variety is the spice of Life. Eat as many different Breakfasts as you can while still Optimizing your Lifestyle. Variety is also Key for What your Body Is, and Isn’t. Getting.

Eating the same thing each day may give you Knowledge of What you are Getting (Protein, Carbs, Fat, Nutrients, Vitamins, etc.), but it also tells you What You are Not Getting.

There is no “Perfect” Breakfast (nor Lunch or Dinner), so mixing it up means you are Balancing Your Taste Buds, and Your Diet….

We recommend “Rotating” 4-5 Breakfasts, so that while Enjoyability stays High, your Health does as well…

 

As Forest Gump once said, “Breakfast is as Breakfast Does”…

Meaning, If You Eat Well, You Live/Feel/Play Well…

Build your Breakfast, and Build it Well, as it Affects Every Part of your Day…

Let’s Go!!!