Why Breakfast Keeps Me Up At Night

Thank you so much for sharing this article! Breakfast in our house is big only when my husband is home in the mornings. I like the thought of making breakfast your own. Especially when you are trying to be a better and healthier eater.

Erin Young

I am so comforted that you obsess about breakfast. I obsess about lunch and dinner, too.

Jim

My wife and I watched Michael Pollan's Authors@Google talk last weekend (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-t-7lTw6mA) and he mentioned the Battle Creek sanitarium and how breakfast cereal was intended to boost intake of carbohydrates. I suspect that Kellogg's (Kellogg (among other famous folks) was a patient at said sanitarium) goal was to get us all convinced that breakfast = time for major carbo-loading for the day.

This all reminds me of a previous comment of yours, Lisa, where you said that trail mix is great if you're hiking, but not if you're eating it on the couch. I suppose that breakfast carbo-loading is great if your body is going to use the fuel, but if you're going to sit in front of the computer for the next eight hours, probably not as critical a preparation. :)

I feel a little awkward about pimping someone else's work on Lisa's blog, but my wife and I watched this "How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind" talk by Doug Lisle PhD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ) a few weeks ago and it really cleared things up for us. It's absolutely worth the time.

Andy D

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! I could eat it anytime!! Yum!! ;)

Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers

Don't forget scrambled tofu wrapped in a whole-grain tortilla....yum yum yum.

Mana

I'm guilty of both desiring a big breakfast and skipping breakfast. On the weekends if we're all home I cook a big breakfast, during the week the kids have a choice of oatmeal or cereal and often I skip eating. Bad, bad, bad... I know! I'm more focused and stick to my good food goals better when I eat breakfast. Today I managed an egg scramble sandwich. 1 egg + 1 serving egg whites + 2 T low fat milk scrambled & cooked and eaten on toast with a slice of american cheese (to hold it all in there). I still have to figure my WW points, but it was divine with my coffee - in my Starbucks mug of course! :)

Gail Klanchesser

I love big breakfasts like the picture too! My husband and I will only indulge in that during the summer months - when we bike two hours to a great brunch place, then bike home again! Otherwise, when at home, I'll fry up onions, cauliflower, sweet potato, mushrooms, and kale, and serve with a piece of toast. Better than hashbrowns, with a lot less fat and more flavour!

Michelle

@ Michelle. Your 'hash-browned" veggies sound like a dish fit for a Roman emperor. Aw nuts, my mouth just watered all over my keyboard.

Sparkina

Usually when I go to bed it's because I am so hungry, so I go to sleep thinking about breakfast. Then I always end up waking up earlier and earlier every day. My body wants breakfast! I've been trying to healthify breakfast for so long, and it's a terrible struggle.

Molly

......sitting here thinking about the container of Black Bean & Turkey Combo in the fridge....for breakfast.

Jan G.

Weight Watchers got me started eating breakfast and I have found that I need protien to really feel full. I usually have 1 egg with 1 serv. of egg-beaters and a grapefruit and a bagel thin and that keeps me going till lunch. The bfast pictured looks great but that was a by-gone time.

Ann

I love a hot breakfast especially in snowy nebraska...I make a egg casserole (don't be scared) with whatever veggies are in my fridge... 6 eggs and 6 egg whites whipped together, 1/2 c. To 1 c. Cheese and veggies, mix all together and pour into 11x7 pam sprayed pan, bake at 350 for 40 minutes... my fave combinations... eggs, feta (1/2c) 2-3 roma tomatoes and 1/2 bag frozen( spinach thawed and squeezed) m other fave combo is eggs,onion, green pepper, mushrooms and 1 c. Sharp cheese... when I'm lazy I'll drain a cup or 2 of salsa and use that with sharp cheese! This reheats wonderfully in the microwave HOT breakfast! Enjoy!

jaime

Since I started nutritional cleansing over 4 years ago, my whole family has protein shakes for breakfast. I really appreciate the convenience and the ease - even my youngest (6 at time we started this routine) can easily make her own "breakfast."

Lilibeth MacLean

I am in the handmade freezer mode for breakfast! I have recently started making a weeks worth of steel cut oats, when I have the time. Fill muffin tins with the oatmeal, freeze, pop them out and into a freezer bag. So easy to zap them in the micro, add some cranberries and slivered almonds.....breakfast done! Saves so much time. Make ahead scrambled eggs with veggies and turkey bacon or sausage from the freezer is a great healthy time-saver too :)

Kandi

I am a believer in 'making ahead' as much as possible. Once a week I make a double batch of Gluten Free whole grain blueberry pancakes (with one scoop of protein powder added to the batter), batch of Gluten Free chocolate chip waffles (with a scoop of protein powder mixed in the batter), and a batch of what my kids call "donut muffins" (Also Gluten Free, and again, with a scoop of protein powder in the batter). I freeze it all, and then while the kids a re getting up, I reheat whatever they want in the microwave while I fry up a few pieces of turkey bacon. Breakfast for the five us is in 15 minutes. The girls get a good, healthy breakfast that keeps them full until lunch, and I only have to spend part of a morning baking, instead of every day. :) Hope this helps!

Elizabeth

@Kandi- brilliant! We [heart] steel-cut oatmeal; I just shared that with my wife! Thanks for the idea!

Andy D

The single most important food choice that I make all day is to eat a protein-rich breakfast. Every single day. If I tilt the balance too much towards carbs--even a bowl of a so-called high-protein cereal, like GoLean--I'm ravenously hungry by mid-morning and I've set myself up to overeat for the rest of the day. I start most days with 2 eggs (maybe 3.) Usually I just mix up some egg salad and eat it from a bowl. The protein & fat from the mayo keep me full for 5 hours until lunch. No morning snack required. I eat sausage or bacon if I have time, or sometimes I'll make a breakfast burrito with a lowcarb tortilla. On those days, I'm lucky if I'm hungry by 1pm because lowcarb tortillas contain so much fiber (unlike regular tortillas, which often have none.) My kids enjoy waffles and cereal but I try to always give them some protein beyond the 1/2c milk in their cereal. It keeps them going longer.

cherryghost

Aside of steel cut oats, I get nauseated by breakfast. Not the foods (love love love bacon), just the type of American breakfast foods upsets my stomach. I started eating things like lentil soup in the morning. I am still getting used to it, but it does some how seem wrong. And I spent months in Costa Rica where beans and rice were bkfast, lunch and dinner. Silly habits :)

Laurie

The breakfast I worry about is my kids' - I'm slowly trying to improve what they eat. Hubby still thinks breakfast is a bowl of cereal, but the kids rarely get enough to eat that way and then they're crying for a snack an hour later! So I've started making a list in Evernote of "approved" breakfast ideas that the kids will actually eat, so that we don't have to really think about it too much first thing in the morning. Since my kids are preschool and younger, breakfast and lunch are their big meals so they really have to pack a nutritional punch - can't wait for dinner to do that because they don't often eat much at dinner.

Thanks for pointing out how some other cultures eat breakfast; it's so sad that we've lost some of these great food traditions in our melting pot. Actually, some of the suggestions on my breakfast list include dinner leftovers, pizza, and quesadilla/burrito.

Renee

my breakfast, very often, is 1/2 cup kidney beans, with a bit of cheese (chedder or a laughing cow wedge) and salsa.

If I feel more breakfast-y, its some eggbeaters. Or some plain oatmeal with a tablespoon of powdered peanut butter and a little brown sugar. But its usually the first thing, since its fast and keeps me full.

sammy

My go to breakfast at least 5 days a week is a spinach and mushroom omelette-no cheese. Keeps me satisfied until lunch.

Anita

For several years now, my daily breakfast is a big bowl of cut up fruit - an apple, a banana, a handful of berries - with a couple dollops of Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of oats, a few walnuts and some honey squirted on top. Stir and eat. I still look forward to this every day and it lasts all morning.

That Neil Guy

I have been trying to eat more whole grains, so a couple of times a week I have kasha (toasted buckwheat). At night, I put two tablespoons into a 2 cup container with some cinnamon, dried cranberries, and a couple of chopped dried apricots. Pop on a lid, and bring it along. At work, I add some water (play with it to get a texture you like), microwave for a couple of minutes, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes. Then, I add a couple of spoons of ground flax seeds, stir again, and eat. You could add some sweetener (or vary the fruit) if you like. I won't say I like it better than some of my other old favorites, but it is very healthy and gives me some variety.

A

I think it's great that you mentioned "baby steps" to changing eating habits and anything else for that matter. Adding greens into your meals is a great way to kick start your palate for something different. I tend to obsess over dinner :)

Daisy

I love to just mix up a protein shake with skil milk every morning. I get the chocolate protien powder at my local co-op.

sara

Thank you for sharing this post with us! It has inspired me to get a breakfast repertoire. My challenge is to remember to prepare or at least plan breakfast the night before because it never happens in the morning!

Multi-Testing Mommy