Eat a balanced breakfast. It’s a simple concept, but it’s not easy for everyone to practice. It’s all too common to skip breakfast, or to only eat a protein bar “to be good,” or to say, “I’m not a breakfast person.”
But here’s the thing: A bar is not enough. A cup of coffee is not enough. A bowl of cereal is not enough. This sets you up to be ravenous by lunchtime – which sets you up for overeating or bingeing. Mentally, it sets you up to deal with food noise that gets louder and louder. It sets you up to obsess about food. Physically, it sets you up for increasingly intense hunger cues and your body asking you to satisfy them.
I found for myself that once I started eating breakfast, and eating it well, my body soon routinely woke up asking for breakfast. And over time, because I was no longer ravenous between meal times, I could more easily focus on work and hobbies and other important things in my life, rather than constantly thinking about food and worrying about bingeing.
How do you build a balanced breakfast?
Just like every other meal of the day, it helps to think about:
- Protein – supports muscle repair, fullness, and steady energy
- Fat – helps with hormone balance, brain health, and satiety
- Carbohydrates – provide your body’s main source of energy
- Color/micronutrients – deliver essential vitamins and antioxidants for overall health
And don’t overthink it. Don’t overthink the amount of each element. Just start to practice getting them all on your plate.
Here are 3 balanced breakfast ideas:
Milk (or soy milk), whole-grain cereal, peanut butter, banana
- Protein – milk and peanut butter
- Fat – peanut butter (and milk, depending on the type)
- Carbohydrates – cereal and banana
- Color/micronutrients – banana
Smoothie with milk (or soy milk), protein powder, peanut butter, frozen banana, strawberries, frozen spinach, and a granola topper
- Protein – milk, peanut butter, protein powder, granola
- Fat – peanut butter and granola (and milk, depending on the type)
- Carbohydrates – banana, strawberries, granola
- Color/micronutrients – banana, strawberries, frozen spinach
Eggs with spinach and cottage cheese, with whole-grain toast
- Protein – eggs, cottage cheese, toast (depending on type)
- Fat – eggs, cottage cheese
- Carbohydrates – toast
- Color/micronutrients – spinach
Eat breakfast. Get nutrients. Get energy. Quiet the food noise. Feed your body and your brain so you can do and focus on what actually matters in your life, from workouts, to work, to relationships.
