Breakfast is key to avoiding hunger mode, which can lead to fat storage mode. If you are not a breakfast eater or frequently skip breakfast, you are on your way to some frustrations regarding your physical health (or, most likely, you are there already!).
Ok, so we need to eat breakfast...but if you are new to the clean-eating-to-fuel-the-body scene and have heard about avoiding grains and sugar, you wonder what to do with the items in your cupboards and/or freezer consisting of dry cereals, instant oatmeal packets, pancake mix, frozen waffles or - !gasp! - powdered breakfast drinks.
Very simple - throw them out! Give away the unopened items to a soup kitchen if need be (or a sworn enemy - heh heh), but don't continue to feed your body's addiction to sugars and grains because you want to finish off the boxes. Just get rid of it and begin today to rid yourself of some unhealthy events ocurring inside your body.
Now what? What do I have left for breakfast?! Here's where an important and critical step will come in. Along with the cereal boxes, throw out every image of what you think breakfast should be and turn it around. Anything you eat for lunch and dinner can be had for breakfast. This might be something that takes a little getting used to, but believe me when I tell you that once you get over the conventional "breakfast food" rut, the breakfast possibilities are endless!
IDEAS:
Eggs - scrambled, over easy/hard, deviled, omelet, frittata, hard/soft boiled, quiche...eggs are your best friend when it comes to breakfast. Rich in protein and fat, eggs will get you through the day. Still worried about the egg myths of fat and cholesterol? This study (http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n10/abs/ijo2008130a.html) shows that people who ate eggs vs. bagel for breakfast lost 16% bodyfat!
Meat - get that steak from last night and have steak and eggs. Or just steak. yum. Bacon, Ham, pork, chicken, turkey, sausauge, lox/salmon....it's all good!
Smoothie - this one is tricky and I hate to even mention it, since many people go overboard. On one hand it's super convenient and tasty, on the other hand it's an easy way to gain weight from the fact that most smoothies are made with fruit (and fructose in fruit causes fat storage) and as liquid, will be absorbed quicker into your system. If you're going to make one, I would make sure to have some protein with it, preferrably real food ('sup to you, but if you MUST use a protein powder...100% egg white powder - unsweeted). Stick with berries instead of fruit like bananas. But for Pete's sake; don't rely on this option for the bulk of your breakfasts - eat REAL food!
Salad - whether it's fruit salad or a regular one, throwing together a salad is pretty easy and tasty. Get out that arugula and spinach and throw a cut up boiled egg and some bacon bits on top.
Substitutes - Many of us just can't get completely away from the shape/form/look of breakfast, so what can we do to substitute relatively good stuff for terrible stuff? Coconut flour is an awesome substitutes for regular flour (not a 1:1 ratio, so look up specific recipes) and almond flour or almond meal is a great substitute for flour or bread. For instance, instead of breaded chicken, I'll grind up some almonds and roll the chicken in egg and then the almond meal to make fake breaded chicken. At the bottom is a recipe for Coconut Pancakes.
Do a search on my blog for Spinach Fritatta - easy egg muffins that you can have on hand in the fridge. Great breakfast you can eat on the road! Or the recent Guilt-Free Apple Muffins or even the Banana Paleo Pancakes!
Marks Daily Apple has a bunch of breakfast photos (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-breakfast-photos/) and his site is awesome - check it out!
Coconut Pancakes
4 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut milk (full fat) (Tai Kitchen is the best - Oh yea, shake the can b4 you open it)
1/4 cup of dried unsweetened coconut flakes
Method:
Mix these ingredients and let them sit for five minutes. Oil or grease up your pan (preferably with coconut oil!) and heat over medium heat. Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, allowing each side to brown before flipping it.
photos and resources courtesy of constantly varied blogspot
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