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Try The Breakfast Experiment


Many people have a love/hate relationship with breakfast. You either love your morning cereal or eggs with toast or you are totally bored with the typical breakfast options. Some people get so sick of their morning meal that they just skip it and wait until lunch or even dinner to eat.
Study after study has shown that eating a good breakfast is the key to health. It boosts your metabolism, keeps you energized and helps with weight loss. It literally breaks your fast after sleeping all night.
I never tell people what to do, but if you are not eating breakfast, ask yourself why? Did you eat too much the night before? Do you not have enough time in the morning? If breakfast fuels your day, can you see the difference between whole grains, protein and veggies versus a doughnut and coffee?
Try expanding your idea of what breakfast should look like. It doesn't have to be fruit and cereal or waffles and eggs. Vegetables, whole grains, fish and other highly nutritious foods can be eaten at any time of day, including morning. You'll find recipes here, that will help you broaden your breakfast palette.
Try this "Breakfast Experiment." You can find the complete exercise in my book: Integrative Nutrition: Feed Your Hunger for Health & Happiness, but the idea is to try something new every day for one week. Immediately after you eat scrambled eggs, for example, journal how you feel. Wait for two hours and then go back to your journal and write down how you feel. This exercise helps a lot of people tune into their body to find the foods that work best for them.
Sample diary:
Day 1: Scrambled eggs
Right after eating I felt:
Two hours after eating I felt:
Day 2: Bagel and coffee
Right after eating I felt:
Two hours after eating I felt:
Day 3: Fresh vegetables
Right after eating I felt:
Two hours after eating I felt:

Comments (6)
prachi's picture
Posted by Prachi Patel
I am going to give this a try. I've recently discovered that I am lactose intolerant, so my breakfast world has gone topsy-turvy and I have no idea what to eat.
Oberon's picture
Posted by Oberon Burrows
Joshua, I just looked at some of your breakfast recipes. The breakfast casserole and omelet with leeks and greens sound delicious and healthy. I like the idea of getting vegetables in the morning.
Alex101's picture
Posted by Alex B.
I would think that there's no way I could eat vegetables for breakfast, although based on this I may give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes.
lisette's picture
Posted by Melissa Miranda
I agree that breakfast is the most important meal and I can definitely vouch for the fact that eating a nicely balanced meal is the best way to start the day. I've been having a bowl of oatmeal with flaxseed, egg white with crushed tomato omelette, and sauteed greens (kale/spinach/green pepper) for breakfast every morning and it really boosts my energy levels and keeps me going all day. I find that my ability to concentrate has improved a lot! Eating a good breakfast is definitely the way to go!
dymty's picture
Posted by Phillip Zeuner
Hi Joshua, No lie, I've been eating cold cereal for breakfast every weekday morning at least since kindergarden, and I LOVE IT!. For the last 15 years (or more), I've added half a bowl of high fiber to the regular sticks & twigs cereal and just mix the two together (no Sugar Smacks for me, thank you). The fiber content (about 30g) holds me well until about 10:00 or so, then I have something high in protein for a mid-AM snack to hold me for lunch. On the weekends, I still lavish myself with eggs, meat, english muffin (or hotcakes), and coffee. I grill some red, yellow & green peppers, red onion, and garlic, then throw some shitake mushrooms in just before adding my scrambled eggs. Waaaaaay too many caolries for one sitting, so I usually go until mid- to late afternoon before I'm hungry again. But I'm a huge fan of breakfast!
CareyatCoachTools's picture
Posted by Carey Peters
Love the Breakfast Experiment - works for my nutrition clients like a charm! Although they always squirm at the idea of eating fresh vegetables in the morning...