To Fast or Not to Fast? That Is the Question

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Or is it?

We have been sold this idea for years that we must have a big hearty breakfast to 'kickstart' our metabolism and keep us full until lunchtime.

Recent studies have shown a conflict with this, especially with the explosion of intermittent fasting.

Do you agree with intermittent fasting? Is it not natural to miss a few meals here and there? Our ancestors would have gone for hours without food, or at least very little. They may have foraged a few leaves or seeds to keep them going until the big kill.

One problem with modern society is the availability of food. It's too easy to wander into a shop and purchase something, more than likely high in unwanted sugars.

As for the metabolism being kick-started by having a morning meal when we wake is a little sketchy.

Whilst we are in slumber, we are essentially fasting, this is when our largest production of growth hormone occurs. Growth hormone increases fat burning and lean tissue growth. If we extend our fast, we prolong the GH release.

Say we eat a breakfast as we wake, we stunt the production momentarily. Does that mean we actually halt metabolism rather than the common knowledge that it fires it up for the day?

I stress this is in 'normal' functioning bodies, if you are metabolically broken things change.

If we are having a breakfast, what is the best option?

I grew up on cereal for breakfast, coco pops, rice krispies, honey nut something or other. Even good old fashioned corn flakes, there healthy, right?

That's what Mr Kellogg tells us. Why, because they're low in fat?

What do you put on your cereal, milk I'm guessing, and maybe some table sugar.

Here's the problem;

Corn is a grain, it's used to fatten up pigs and such.

Milk is dairy, and although I like a drop of it myself, too much is not the best idea for fat loss, it contains a sugar called lactose. Some people have a gut reaction to this as well but that's for another day.

So, to recap we have corn and milk with a bit of sugar on top, (that's what I did anyway!)

CORN (SUGAR) + MILK (SUGAR) + SUGAR = I'll leave that one for you to conclude.

The other thing that this does is give you that insulin spike and crash, so two hours later and you are rushing for the cookies.

Or we can take the protein/fat stance. Eggs and bacon, veggie omelettes, hell why not Steak!

The protein and fat will keep you full and satisfied for a long time.

Don't forget we need saturated fat and cholesterol to thrive so eat all of the egg including the yolk. This actually is the most nutritious part. It's OK to have more than two eggs a day as well, don't limit yourself.

If you want to fast a bit longer and have breakfast at noon, that's cool. Remember the name simply implies you are 'breaking the fast'. So I guess everyone has breakfast anyway, just at different times.

If you are a morning breakfast person, that's cool too but remember your best options are the high protein, high fat varieties.

Keep clean, stay lean.