Still the most important meal of the day.
Protein. We’re going to tell it to you simple and plain right here. You need at least 18-48 grams of protein each morning for breakfast. You don’t have to read any further, but if you want to know why, this article is for you. In the age of fad diets, it’s hard to know which one to choose. Low carbs diet seem to be all the range, and there’s something to them. They call for reducing your amount of simple carbs from things such as bread, pasta, etc. and an increase in slow digesting carbs from sweet potatoes, vegetables, etc.
Where it gets a big wonky, is with the call for periodic fasting. The term periodic can be interpreted quite loosely, it can mean anything from once a month to daily. One diet in particularly we’re targeting is the “bulletproof diet”. While we agree with most of the diet, fasting every morning is not something the research agrees with.
The bulletproof breakfast plan consist of coffee, MTC oil, and butter. While some have reported clearer thinking and even initial fat loss, once you’re body gets use to the adjustment, you gain fat and lose muscle in the long run. For one thing, our insulin levels are most sensitive in the morning and tend to decline throughout the day. This means that if you ingest 5o g of glucose at 9 a.m., your blood sugar spikes at about 120 mg/100 after 60 minutes as opposed to 160 mg/100 when ingested after 3 p.m. How do we know this? A study in the journal Obesity ran this exact same study.
In probably one of the most notable studies in regards to the subject, the International Journal of Obesity tested 3 groups of young people all consuming different amount of proteins at breakfast time. One group that skipped breakfast (A la the bulletproof breakfast), one group with 18 grams of protein (normal), and another group that consumed 48 of protein during breakfast…drum roll please… The study found that the high protein group reported feeling more satiated and actually ate less during lunch hours.
This also produced a gradual and sustained insulin supply to the brain and muscles. This leads to a positive effect on neurotransmitters that control hunger, brain function, and overall energy levels. Besides the advantages of feeling full, fat loss, as well as sustained insulin levels, groups that ate earlier in the day saw a decrease of 33% in triglycerides while the groups that ate a big dinner saw a 14% increase.
In short, eat protein for breakfast, and if you’re lifting heavy, drink it at night too (according to a Journal of Nutrition study, possible 22% increase when consumed before bedtime.) Skip the fad diets and do yourself a solid, start your day off with protein to give yourself a solid foundation for life, lifting, and the pursuit of awesomeness.
What does your meal plan look like? Let us know by hitting up our comments below or head on over to our official Facebook and Twitter.
