Croissants, pain au chocolate, toast with jam, cereal, orange juice…… most of us in the western world eat a very sugar rich breakfast. It might taste good but when people ask me if this is the right choice I can with certainty say no.
The next question they ask me than is: “ What do I eat instead?”
As if there is no other option! Just look at what other nations are eating in the morning and you will see that there is a lot more choice then you think.
But coming back to the main topic. What is so bad about eating sugar in the morning?
For me quite a lot of things happened when I stopped eating sugar in the morning.
And the main three benefits that I can list are the following:
- More Energy
I know, most of you will say : “But sugar gives you energy”. What actually what happens in your body when you eat sugar is that the pancreas starts producing insulin and you get a real nice energy spike. But very soon your energy levels drop really low and your body wants to have the same spike again.
To have a continuous balanced energy level it is better to keep the sugar intake for later during the day and you enter the vicious cycle. When you eat protein in the morning your sugar levels will be balanced and you will have a nice constant surge of energy through out the day.
- Better focus and memory
For more focus and better memory it is important to eat healthy fats. A bit of protein and a healthy oil, like extra virgin olive oil which is rich in Omeg-3 fatty acids in the morning just gets you brain working right. Studies have shown that sugar has effects on cognition and mood as well as memory and focus.
If you want to have a full concentration and keep you mood stable in the morning steer clear from sugary breakfasts.
- Loose weight and keep it off
By starting you day with a sugar intake you will set up your metabolism for wanting more sugar, as sugar has the same addictive triggers like heroin in the brain. So you will want more sugar but your body can only convert a certain amount of sugar into energy. Consequently your body will start storing it as fat and the pounds will be creeping up around your waistline. And we do not want that, or?
My recommendation: have a bit of protein and some fat in form of olive oil.
