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If you’re trying to manage your weight, health experts agree that starting your day on the right food–ie. with a healthy breakfast is the most important thing you can do (duh). Doctors say that skipping breakfast is “like sending your car to the Indy 500 with no gas and no oil,” and there’s another mistake that can be (almost) as bad as giving yourself *no* nutrients to start your day–and that’s having an imbalanced one.
“The purpose of breakfast is to prepare for the day with the appropriate fuel and nutrients to support the brain, the muscles, and everything else in the body – to optimally approach the day,” Michelle Wong, registered dietitian at Life Time advises.
So–what’s the very worst thing you can do when choosing what to eat in the morning?
Having A ‘One-Sided’ Breakfast
“Sometimes we are on the go so much that we just grab something. Anything. This often ends up being something that falls completely in one food group,” Wong continues. Perhaps you grab a hardboiled egg, a breakfast bar, piece of toast of cup of oatmeal (with no toppings). Yes, putting something in your stomach is better than nothing at all, but there are some issues associated with having a one-sided breakfast.
“Crucial nutrients that power the body might be missing,” she continues. For example, eating an all-protein breakfast like a few strips of turkey bacon may not include some of the B vitamins or fiber needed to properly support energy metabolism, “causing sluggishness or weird energy crashes throughout the day.”
Eating all carbs can have its negative effects, too. "Common breakfasts tend to be very carb heavy like bagels, muffins and even some smoothies. When we consume such large amounts of sugars early in the morning, or any time of day, our blood sugar spikes and eventually crashes which can cause the body to store excess glucose in body fat as not all of the carbs will be used for energy," Harvard trained nutritional psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo and author of "This is Your Brain on Food," agrees.
Additionally, a one-sides all-carb breakfast "may not include enough protein or fat to support optimal hormone response," Wong continues, which could also cause cravings and waves in energy but also negatively add fat to the body with an improper insulin response. Yikes!
So--what should you eat instead? "Foods rich in healthy fats and proteins contribute to more stable blood sugar levels and more lean body mass which promotes increased metabolism," Dr. Naidoo says.
"Go for a well balanced breakfast like a creamy chia pudding with berries, a mixed veggie scramble with or without eggs depending if you are plant based," she continues. "Chia seeds are high in fiber, short chain omega 3 fatty acids, and protein which make them a great way to start the day, plus topping it with berries and cacao nibs increases you antioxidant intake. For the veggie scramble, try cruciferous veggies like cauliflower and brussel sprouts, which are filling and can be made flavorful with spices, herbs and seasoning. These types of meals will digest slowly and nourish your brain."
Yes, you read that right--brussel sprouts for breakfast. "Sometimes we think that traditional breakfast foods are the only breakfast foods we can eat, but who’s to say that you cannot have a piece of chicken, some broccoli, and half a sweet potato for breakfast?" Wong agrees. What about a stir fry or curry with brown rice, a steak on top of a bed of greens? "This may be a bit weird at first but we don’t have to have pancakes and waffles and cereal for breakfast." Amen!
