I’m doing a little series called Simple Swaps for your Regular Routine and the 5th swap is making sure that you get enough protein at breakfast because it’s a game changer for energy and focus specifically.
I included the title “Nourish before Nine.” So it will hopefully stick in your mind that you need to nourish your body before nine o’clock, depending on the time you wake up!
Our body has to make its own energy, if we don’t give the fuel that it needs (which is food) after we wake up. And if we don’t give it food within a certain time frame, many times we’re going to feel the effects of the stress hormones that are secreted in our body to create its own energy.
It’s normal for us to have higher cortisol in the morning which helps us get out of bed and start our day. But we should be giving our body, fuel in the form of food, to prevent our body from producing unnecessary stress hormones.
Why “PROTEIN”? It helps our body to better deal with excess cortisol. Protein blunts the effect of cortisol, which stabilizes our blood sugar, mood, and energy.
Cortisol has a big effect on our blood sugar and protein counteracts the effects. It helps us with focus because it does steady our blood sugar. When our blood sugar is out of control we experience brain fog, mood irritability, and fatigue.
If these stress hormones and our blood sugar constantly go up and down it would just make sense why our energy is not stable throughout the day.
I have found that when clients that I work with prioritize protein at breakfast they have more energy, more focus, and fewer cravings.
Prioritizing protein for breakfast sets the tone for our day. But prioritizing protein really looks like for most people, getting around 30 grams of protein in at breakfast.
I am going to hook you up with some ideas because sometimes we just forget about certain foods and we don’t even know how many protein grams are in certain foods that we’re eating.
- prioritizing animal-based proteins first.
- you can add in other protein sources that kind of bump up your protein.
So whenever I switched from having a smoothie to eating something like some eggs and fruit, it really made a huge difference. I just felt like I was more steady throughout the day and I didn’t have cravings and energy crashes.
A good solid breakfast throughout the day gives me energy and focus!
Remember, it’s not what you do some of the time, it’s what you do all of the time. No need to strive for perfection, do the best you can, but make it a priority!
Here are some ideas for protein-forward breakfast ideas
One place that is my go-to for a lot of pantry staples for breakfast and beyond is Thrive Market. You can get really great ingredients to keep on hand and keep your pantry stocked, delivered right to your door. I love that they have free shipping on orders of $50 or more! You also get a little prize they put in there if you bump your order up to $60 or more. If you’d like to try this, use this link to get 40% off your first box.
I also have a highlight saved on my Instagram account that says Thrive Market, and it just shows some of the things I typically get!