The Self Love Plate: Build A Better Breakfast
The four components of a healthy meal are pretty simple. Here are some ideas for including them at breakfast.
Eating breakfast should be simple, so why is it so hard to get right?
We skip breakfast, eat our kid’s leftovers, or rely on a piece of jam toast to see us through to lunch…
And then caffeinate our fog-addled brains through the mid-morning slump.
We blame our sluggish demeanour on sleep, schedules, and metabolism…
And at night, fall into a heap on the couch with a bowl of cereal and three episodes of New Amsterdam. (No? Just me?)
But what if more energy were available right now? Today, tomorrow, and every day, without major lifestyle change?
It’s possible, I’ve found, by building a better breakfast.
How To Build A Better Breakfast
The building blocks of satiation come in the colourful combo of Protein, Produce, Fibre, and Fat.
These are the four components to include at each meal to reduce the slumpy side effects listed above… Although I make no promises to how they’ll affect your self-control regarding empathetic doctors creating the democratic dream in an NYC hospital! You’ve been warned :)
Is the mental game getting in the way of change? Check out: Confronting Habit’s Mistress to tackle uncover out why.
Produce —
Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins and minerals, and they’re naturally low in calories, which is why The American Dietary Association recommends that you should be eating about 5 servings of produce every day. That's about 1.5 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of veg. But 90% of Americans eat only 1 cup of fruit and LESS than 1 cup of vegetables! So let’s reach the goal by starting at breakfast.
Adding produce can be as simple as a piece of fresh fruit — although you may notice a difference in energy, satiation and blood sugar stabilisation by eating vegetables in the morning.
Here are some ways that I do this:
Add frozen cauliflower or chopped zucchini to smoothies.
Serve omelettes with spinach and grated broccoli.
Eat breakfast tacos with leftover veggies of any sort.
Protein —
This is an essential building block for every cell in your body and is required for maintaining strong bones, muscles and skin. However, many women aren’t reaching their protein quota in the morning (often, I think, because their breakfast is too small), so I’m giving this macronutrient a little more attention below.
Fibre —
Say hello to the carbohydrate portion of your plate! This includes wholegrain bread and cereals, nuts and seeds, grains and pseudo-grains, vegetables and fruit, and more.
(Nuts & seeds? Fruit & veg? Are you noticing ingredient crossover? This is why a diverse plate is a good plate.)
Whilst some women avoid eating fat, others face the carbohydrate conundrum. But neither is going to make you feel good. Carbohydrates break down into glucose, our primary metabolic fuel and an essential addition to your morning meal, without it, you won’t have the same energy.
That said, you get to play around with what type, how much, and in which combination to find your perfect match.
I get a bit sluggish after oats in a way I don’t experience when I eat supersized toast (rye topped with ricotta, macadamia butter, banana + avocado, tomato, hemp seeds, olive oil).
You might find that fruit and vegetable fibre gives you the most energy and you circle back to grains later in the day.
Test! Document! Explore!
Fat —
The low-fat craze started in the 1980s with the idea that eating fat will make you fat. It caused a lot of women to become fat-phobic (maybe you’re one of them).
We’ve since learned, however, that your body needs dietary fat to burn body fat, to feel satiated, and to help absorb fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from other food.
For example, vitamin A is essential for healthy vision, brain function, clear skin, and strong bones. In food, Vitamin A is in the pigment beta-carotene, which you get from plants like carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, broccoli, and apricots. However, beta-carotene has to be converted into active vitamin A before the body can use it, a chemical change that occurs by adding fat.
Think carrots with butter, kale with olive oil, apricots and full-fat Greek yogurt.
Other fat perks:
Provides good fuel for energy.
Improves the appearance of skin and hair.
Boosts contentment and reduces anxiety.
Decreases sugar cravings.
Important for memory and mood.
In the PDF below you’ll find a non-exhaustive list of these core components and some recipes to help you add them into your morning.
But first — I’ve found that the hardest part of breakfast for many women is getting enough protein, so let’s look more closely at this essential nutrient and explore some options for boosting your intake.
Why Is Protein At Breakfast Useful?
When you eat protein your body breaks it down into the amino acids it needs to grow muscles, repair tissues, and heal and strengthen your body.
Eating protein alongside carbohydrates slows down the digestion of those carbs, which keeps your blood sugar stable and leaves you satiated for longer — no more mid-morning slumps or 3 pm pick-me-ups.
Optimal protein intake also helps maintain bone density and muscle mass as we age and offset inflammatory and catabolic conditions associated with chronic disease.
This doesn’t mean you should match Gaston and eat five dozen eggs for breakfast!
Instead, there are some simple ways to pop protein on your plate every morning, and you can find these suggestions plus some 6-minute starter recipes in the PDF at the bottom of this page.
Note: be mindful of choosing foods that nourish. Ideally, this means a short ingredient list and being as close to natural as possible, however, I do know that this isn’t always feasible or affordable, so just do your best.
Examples Of Breakfast Proteins:
You may be surprised to learn that all food contains protein and by combining different ingredients you can reach your morning quota without having to crack an egg.
That said, some foods contain more protein than others. Here are your heavy hitters for your morning plate:
Peanut butter
Eggs
Greek yoghurt
Other nut butters
Nuts and seeds (chia, hemp and flax in particular)
Beans (breakfast tacos!!)
Tofu
Cheese (I love some grilled haloumi in the morning)
Wholegrain oats (+ toppings)
Wholegrain bread (+ toppings)
High-quality protein powder for smoothies
Leftover dinner proteins such as salmon and veggies
Hummus
Peas, spinach, broccoli, oh my!
And so on.
Plant-based proteins have been proven to improve cardiovascular health and lower lipid profiles compared to animal sources. If you already include animal protein in the mornings, try swapping for vegetable sources and see how you feel.
Build A Better Breakfast: Take Action
Update your plate.
First, look at what you already eat for breakfast and brainstorm how you would include each of the four components we discussed above. Focus on what you can ADD rather than what you need to take away.
Download the PDF.
For a non-exhaustive list of ingredients (that means you can go off-piste and choose what you like even if it’s not written here!), plus several starter recipes that use this model of a nourishing plate.
Let me know how you go in the comments below.
Jenn xx
“Just do your best” ❤️❤️❤️ I love your take on this!! Also Gaston made me lol.