What Not to Eat for Breakfast

• a) Frogs Legs
• b) Calamari
• c) Eggplant
• d) Cereal

That’s right: d) cereal. You might as well eat cake for breakfast. Here’s why.

The bad news about breakfast cereals

They are dead carbs.

Most contain enriched wheat, which is wheat that’s been processed to death and then sprayed with synthetic vitamins in an attempt to add back in natural nutrients which were destroyed in processing. Synthetic vitamins are not the same as real vitamins that come directly from the food and do not provide the same benefit. Read this to better understand why modern wheat is a junk food.

What about rice?

Well, does it look like rice? That’s because the grain has gone through a process called extrusion where a sludge of grain and water is forced through a die at high heat and pressure. This creates all those fun ring and flake shapes.  The heat and pressure unfortunately destroy most of the grain’s nutrients.

They’re loaded with sugar.

And this includes granola. If you like the main ingredient in granola—oats—then just eat oats. Oatmeal is a good occasional food, as long as it is steel cut. Eating most cereal is like eating cake. Also, the manufacturers deliberately make the serving size really small (like 3/4 cup) so that the corresponding amount of sugar that they are required to list seems lower. But you will likely eat twice that.

Many contain dangerous preservatives like BHT and BHTQ.

These are petroleum-based chemicals which have been linked to cancer and disease. Anything that is going to make your food last forever is probably something you don’t want to eat.

They cause blood sugar spikes

Enriched wheat turns to sugar in your body and is absorbed as if it’s sugar, which spikes your blood sugar, like cake. A quick carb fix in the morning will satiate you, but not for very long. Protein and fat, on the other hand, will draw out the feeling of fullness longer because it’ll keep your blood sugar more stable.

They most likely contain glyphosate.

Monsanto’s weed-killer Round Up is sprayed on all conventional wheat to dry it out just before harvesting. Glyphosate will not be listed in the ingredients. Glyphosate is linked to everything from cancer to birth defects.

Breakfast alternatives (mix and match):

Wild sardines

packed in extra virgin olive oil (one of the most perfect foods, and one of the few that is high in Vitamin D). Other fish that are easy morning choices are lox—right out of the packet, and herring—sold in a jar.

Egg in any form

 (scrambled or omelette are great because you can add herbs like basil and dill or green onions). Use butter, ghee, or a healthy oil like avocado.

Veggie smoothie

with protein powder. Here’s a great choice for kids, and the full kaboodle for adults.

Raw veggies and fruits

(carrots, celery, fennel, apple) and organic peanut/almond/cashew butter or guac. Note that bananas have a high glycemic load, so best to pair with a fat/protein like nut butter. Pour some frozen blueberries into a bowl, cover, and defrost overnight. In the morning, drizzle a tablespoon of coconut oil or 1/2 cup coconut milk and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Organic nitrate-free sausage with sauerkraut.

If you don’t love sauerkraut, have a pickle!

Steel cut oatmeal with grassfed butter,

unrefined coconut oil, raisins or cranberries, and banana mashed in for sweetness. Nuts on top are great. A little local honey is also ok.

Raw cheese.

It’s more expensive, so just eat less of it 😜. Try a piece on almond flour tortilla or as finger food with some tomatoes and cucumber, or grapes.

Organic whole yogurt.

Buy plain and mix in banana, berries and/or nuts. Refined sugar reduces the probiotic benefit of the yogurt. Kefirs are also hearty and super healthy.

Sweet potato chunks. 

These are so good and versatile that you can eat them anytime. Buy organic garner if you can, and bake for 2 hours on 425˚. That’s it! When ready to it, drizzle with coconut oil and cinnamon.

Go nuts. 

You have been conditioned to eat these with dried fruit in a ready pack. These usually come with unhealthy sunflower oil (or worse) and added sugar. Plus, the natural sugar in dried fruit adds up to more than you think. Better pairing cashews, walnuts, pecans, or almonds, with banana, apple, or another fresh fruit.

Bone broth.

Yup, one of the healthiest and most nourishing foods available, and you can easily make it yourself! Nothing will get your day started on better footing than a glass of warm bone broth.

Energy balls.

I’ve seen different varieties crop up in Austin. Most are made with peanut butter, coconut flakes, and ingredients like chia seeds, spirulina, and coffee beans. My favorites are these.

a Power bar

is okay if it has less than 6 grams of sugar and contains live food and food extracts and is not made with synthetic laboratory-manufactured chemicals. This is the only processed food on my list, and processed generally isn’t great, so not an everyday solution.

Not bread.

Sorry folks. There are so many reasons why, and one reason is glyphosate. Bread is no better than cereal unless it’s sourdough or homemade with organic ancient grains and lentils/chickpea/coconut flour and without gluten.

The Takeaway:

 You can eat anything for breakfast ! Don’t be limited by traditional notions of bacon and eggs, bagels and cream cheese, waffles and cereal!