I f–ing LOVE breakfast!
Seriously, by far, without a shadow of a doubt, breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day. Anyone that knows me closely, instantly realizes how seriously I take food.
Why people don’t take seriously the foods with which they are supplying their own body, to rebuild and repair itself, escapes my understanding. But again, seriously, I love breakfast.
This is what I had this morning:
So why should you as an avid surfer/athlete, take more than two seconds to eat a piece of crap pop tart, and put something decent into your body for breakfast?
What you consume at breakfast, basically determines your energy levels, energy output, hormonal balances, and well-being for the remainder of the day and not to mention, YOUR OVERALL HEALTH.
This becomes exceptionally relevant when you’re gearing up to be out in the surf for 4hours. So don’t be a lazy-ass, and make your breakfast choices something decent.
BREAKFAST BASICS: The BIG 3 macronutrients.
- Carb
- Protein
- Fat
You NEED to eat all 3 at breakfast, not just one like the typical American, BUT, your ratios of these 3 is what’s relevant.
This opens a big friggin’ door for specific opinions on the relevance of what the rations of C:P:F should be, but that can be a pretty big rabbit hole, one filled with south beachers, atkins, zone, paleo, metabolic typing, on and on and on.
I personally believe we as a modern society rely WAY TOO heavily on nutrient poor processed grains (shitty carbs). And I’d bet most of you folks out there would view a big bowl of some quaker oats to be the best option,… well,,,,, I’m gonna have to disagree with you… mostly.
Like I said, this opens a lot of doors into nutritional opinions, which I’ll delve into at some point, but not yet. Besides that, every one is an individual, meaning we all have differing ratios of macronutrient needs depending on your genes, heritage, energy expenditure, stress levels, hormonal needs, sleep or lack there-of,,,, etc. etc.
What works for me and keeps me at my best, might not be the best option for you. You’ve got to find what jives well with your body. So what to eat?
MY CURRENT THOUGHTS ON BREAKFAST:
For sustained energy throughout the day, and for my personal well-being, I sway to the side of heavier fat (the good kind- not a bunch of low quality polyunsaturated fats), and protein.
Think organic eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk, raw nuts, avocado, organic bacon, grass-fed meats, and RAW milk, for really good sources of saturated fats and proteins.
This helps not only for my hormonal health. But also helps supply sustained energy for the hours out in the water, the gym, or for work.
For carbs, some fruit is great, or some decent starch (think sweet potato hash browns, or some plantains), but don’t to heavily over-do it on the starch, or you’re setting yourself up for blood sugar highs and lows, which equals feeling crappy, and low energy.
Fresh juices are a solid option too, but again, you gotta watch your blood sugar levels. I’m just not at all on board with the grain cereal, bread/bagel/waffle, and low-fat milk/soymilk epidemic. I personally in fact feel that it’s detrimental to your health and longevity.
Renowned strength coach and nutrition smart guy, Charles Poliquin, even has what he deems his Meat and Nuts breakfast approach. And there are TONS of other extremely bright individuals in the health community that would agree with a heavier fat/protein loaded breakfast.
This kind of smacks the face of the standard American breakfast. But look at the standard American, and it’s not too hard to see that something is WRONG.
Give these style of breakfasts a try, and I know you will be not only healthier for it. But you’ll also feel better overall.
If the saturated fat scares you, well you’ve got a lot to learn about the truth regarding saturated fat and unsaturated fats… so hold my hand, and i’ll show the way daniel-son.
know-your-fats Check out this Weston A. Price Foundation link and get your learn on about Fats, and what constitutes a healthy fat.
