You know that old adage "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? That's actually really true, but not in the traditional sense that you probably are thinking of. It doesn't mean that eating your breakfast is the most important meal of the day... it means that eating your break-fast is!
What's the difference?
Breakfast implies the traditional sense of the word - eating within 1-2 hours after waking up. Break-fast means your first meal, regardless of the time of day. See the difference there? In fact, that's where the word "breakfast" originated from... breaking your fast!🤯
Why is it so important?
Your first meal, or break-fast, sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you start off with a high carbohydrate, high sugar, processed meal, then this immediately spikes your blood glucose level and causes a rush of insulin to be released in order to bring that blood glucose level down. This rush of insulin tends to overcompensate in an attempt to reduce the blood glucose levels - and this results in low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. Once you're in hypoglycemia, your body starts to crave more food even if you don't need it.
Some signs of this phenomenon are feeling light-headed, spikes and falls in energy levels, energy slumps, feeling "hangry", feeling faint or getting the urge to snack (I have a fantastic video on snacking HERE).
On the flip-side, if you start off with a nutrient dense meal (like THIS smoothie), then this slows the release of blood glucose and allows your body to maintain higher energy levels and stay fuller longer.
Okay okay, so you get that having an awesome meal when you break your fast is extremely important. But what do you do about preparing a nutrient dense, satiating meal when you're out and about with Intermittent Fasting?
I get this question a lot from AENpeeps who work in an office setting and don't have access to a kitchen to whip up their meal mid-day. So today, I'm sharing my top 5 meal prep tips to make sure that you can maintain your busy lifestyle while still breaking your fast properly!
1. Invest in a thermos. And mason jars.
A thermos is great to keep your Keto Coffee hot. I also use mason jars to prep multiple days worth of smoothies in the fridge at a time. You can put all of your smoothie ingredients in individual mason jars for the week (without blending). That way, all you have to do in the morning is blend and go (see tip #3)!
2. Coffee whisks are lifesavers.
You can prep your Keto Coffee on the go without a blender! Just keep a hand-held coffee whisk (like THIS one) in your purse or at your office to whip up your Keto Coffee while on the go. Check out my video below on how you can use this while traveling too!
3. Pre-blend your smoothies.
Then just shake it up a bit when you're ready to eat! Most offices offer a fridge for you to store your lunch in. Just pre-blend your smoothie at your house before you leave, then store it in the fridge until you're ready to break your fast!
4. Not a smoothie person?
Even easier! Prep meals like the Grain-Free Oatmeal or the Chia Brekky Bowl from the 7 Day Detox program for the week and store them in glass containers to bring with you to work. It's like your own personal grab-n-go! :)
5. Traveling? Keep liquids in mind.
As we know, liquids in the airport are a no-no due to security. If you're traveling around the time that you would have your Keto Coffee, make sure that you're prepared! Bring your coffee whisk, a small packet of grass-fed ghee (this travels better than butter) or cacao butter (if making it vegan) and a small container of coconut oil. Then once you're through security, you can find the best option of coffee available to you in the airport (some airports even offer organic coffee now!) and whisk up your Keto Coffee!
How you begin your morning really sets the tone for the rest of the day. Stress and the gut are intimately linked. Making sure that you're prepared with gut-healing food and coffee for Intermittent Fasting will help to reduce your cortisol levels during the day which further helps to heal the gut and increase your energy levels!
Ready to get started on your Intermittent Fasting journey? Grab everything you need to prepare for success and learn ALLLLL the science-y deets with The Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle! It includes 7 weeks worth of meal-by-meal guidance, 3 week workout protocol tailored to IF, over 100 recipes, restaurant guidelines, FAQ and MORE!
Get the deets HERE!
Your Nutritionist,
Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition
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