Breakfast - the most important meal of the day!
Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? If you struggle with high cortisol, then it really is!
Intermittent Fasting has become more and more popular and for good reason, there is a lot of science showing it to be a very helpful practice. But it's hard for most people to stop eating at night, so a lot of people will just wait to eat their first meal later in the day in order to get their 12-14 hours of fasting.
And it might work for some people, especially men, but for women or anyone struggling with a dysregulated nervous system, that could be a big piece of what's keeping you in a stress state.
OR... maybe you're just not hungry in the morning. You drink your cup of coffee and that adrenaline rush is what gets you going in the morning. But I'm sorry to say, that's a recipe for adrenal fatigue.
Remember that the stress response is not just from external factors like being late for work. The exact same response can come from your nervous system picking up on your internal state feeling unsafe.
Things like inflammation, being low on minerals, parasites, infection, being over caffeinated, or not having enough available energy from food... that can all cause that same fight or flight response.
When your body is already on high alert, then it doesn't take much to trigger that Sympathetic response. Remember, your nervous system doesn't reason. It doesn't know that you're intentionally not eating and that you will be eating soon. It only knows that you're trying to function while not having an easily available calorie source. So it'll create one for you. By dumping cortisol and adrenaline, your liver will respond by dumping it's glycogen stores so that you have easy access to glucose in case you need to fight or run away.
Your body doesn't use fat stores in these instances because it takes several hours for your body to convert fat into glucose, and when it's focused on survival, that's just too long. It wants quick resources.
If your liver is depleted of it's glycogen stores because of being triggered into this state too often, then next your body will break down muscle to get the glucose stored there. It's another quick source. (Do you struggle to maintain muscle? This could be why.)
You've already been fasting for 8+ hours when you wake up in the morning. Continuing to fast when you already struggle to regulate your cortisol will just cause it to spike even more throughout the day.
So if you struggle with high cortisol, one of the best things you can do to find balance is to eat a protein focused breakfast within 60 minutes of waking up.
Why focus on protein? Because it's a slower to digest food. It gives your body that satiety that lasts much longer and it will help to keep your cortisol regulated. If you only eat carbs in the morning, you'll have a spike of glucose which is just another trigger for your nervous system. Say no to cereal!
Aim for 20-30 grams of protein.
And the timing REALLY matters. Don't go 60 minutes past the time your alarm goes off or you won't see the benefits as much.
And I know it can be hard to eat first thing. You might even need to ease your way into it. But here are some tips:
Make a plan: If you wait until the morning to decide what you’re going to eat or to check if you have groceries, then it’s going to make it hard to stick to this schedule. Have several options on hand and ready to go.
Prep ahead: Frittatas, Chia seed pudding with protein powder, smoothies, egg bites .. there are so many make ahead foods that can make your mornings easier. This is what Pinterest is for!
Keep it simple: You don’t need to make your meals elaborate to be delicious or satiating. Some days all I can stomach is cottage cheese with some blueberries. But most mornings I make a smoothie because it’s easy to digest and quick to make.
Here's the recipe for my favorite breakfast smoothie:
1/2 cup frozen berries
Protein powder (I use THIS ONE from Equilife)
2 tbsp Hemp Seeds
1 tbsp Pumpkin Seeds or sunflower seeds
Handful of spinach
Here's my other favorite easy breakfast when I want something warm:
Mix together 1 can of drained black beans and 1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. Heat in a saucepan. This mix will last me several meals. I top with 2-3 fried eggs and some avocado. You can get fancy and add spices like garlic powder, cumin, and smoked paprika or throw in some greens .. but it's delicious on it's own too.
A good friend just started doing this. He has ADHD and struggles to keep his stress down throughout the day. He didn't avoid breakfast, but he didn't always have enough protein or he'd have too many carbs. By just having a protein focused breakfast and making sure he ate it within an hour of waking, he said he feels like a different person. He's calmer throughout the day, he doesn't crave carbs or sweets anymore, and he's not crashing in the afternoon.
It really can make a huge difference! Let me know if you try it!
