So, it depends on a few factors. These are questions that you will have to investigate and troubleshoot for yourself.
- Are you hungry when you wake up?
-- If so, eat. If not, don't eat. Eat when you are hungry, but be prepared when you are ready to eat, so you aren't reaching for things that will make you crash, which then leads to eating more.
- If you don't eat breakfast, will you be ravenous before lunch?
--
If you are, then you should eat something that has staying power that does not make you crash and burn in the morning for breakfast.
-- Not just a cup of Orange Juice
-- Not Sweet cereal or just a donut or some pastry
-- Not a Cinnamon roll and
coffee
The above items don't have any staying power, meaning that they will digest quickly. You will be hungry again before the end of the hour. If you are not prepared then you find yourself at the vending machine eating more processed stuff or eating out of Sally's candy dish.
Let me ask you this - have you ever ate a high carb breakfast and felt lethargic
and sleepy quickly after? I'm sure you have, and this is why carbs get a bad rap. It's the type of carbs, not the Carbohydrates themselves. Those carby items I mentioned are more than just carbs, they are carbs and fat - highly palatable, easy to overeat.
In comparison a bowl
of oatmeal with berries or whatever fruit you like, potatoes (russet or sweet), whole grain bread or Ezekiel bread, to name just a few unprocessed carbs. The items above just don't have staying power, which what we should eat less of. If you enjoy them thats fine, I love me a good cinnamon roll too but I know if I only eat that I will not be satiated very long.
When you eat Carbs alone, no matter the type, they digest quicker than if you had paired them with a protein source and veggies.
This brings me to another question that I often get about breakfast - What should I eat for breakfast? Whelp, that depends on your preferences too.
Some guidelines that I give me clients:
Always, always pair a Protein source (WHOLE eggs are okay, egg whites, steak, chicken, etc.), the rest is up to you based on your goals, activity level, and your preferences. Once you have the protein covered, you can add a carb source, veggies, or fats, or a combination of the three is fine
too.
