Mom Was Right About Breakfast

By Brain Zehetner
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We’ve all heard it before…breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It does make sense, folks. After starving the body for 8-12 hours on average, the body needs fuel for the day ahead. If the tank is empty, going to work, exercising and any other daily tasks become increasingly difficult. Therefore, I have to agree with the mothers of the world when it comes to breakfast, but what about the actual make-up of the meal?

Most people get carbohydrate crazy at breakfast, often eating very unbalanced meals with barely a hint of protein (or fat for that matter). This can leave you yearning for more food sooner rather than later, setting up a consistent feeding pattern that is hard to control. For those who don't carbo-load at breakfast, there is an equally disturbing problem. You guessed it…the exact opposite. Far too many people are limiting or eliminating carbohydrates, even at breakfast. Protein is plentiful, in the form of eggs, cottage cheese, breakfast meats or protein shakes, but the grains are hard to come by. Some folks do incorporate some oatmeal, but this is often the only carbohydrate I see, with the exception of some fruit introduced sporadically here or there. I can certainly understand the desire to minimize processed carbohydrates in the AM, but we need to remember the primary function of carbohydrates in the body…energy. And what fuel source do we use when we workout, especially when strength training? That’s right, carbohydrates. And what will our bodies do with excess protein in the absence of carbohydrate? You guessed it…the liver will convert it to sugar.

Balance at breakfast means having carbohydrates, proteins and some fats, in that order. There are lots of options available, so don’t limit yourself to two or three items. It sounds cliché, especially from a dietitian, but use balance, variety and moderation to guide your choices. There may be specific times of the day or periods during a training cycle when one macronutrient will be manipulated to a certain level, but for most exercisers (even hard-core exercisers), breakfast is simply not it. Use common sense and prepare yourself adequately for your daily activities.

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