Choose The Right Breakfast to Kickstart Your Day and Keep Your Blood Sugar Under Control

Breakfast is an energy source to kickstart the day, and numerous studies have highlighted its importance for overall health. However, with the trend of intermittent fasting, breakfasts often get skipped. Titan Lin, the founder of Taiwan’s Learn Eating and a nutritionist, emphasizes the significance of breakfast and how to opt for a healthy one.

Whether for weight loss or general health, many are jumping on the intermittent fasting bandwagon. Adhering to the diet’s fasting principles, many people skip an early morning meal and some do lose weight. Mr. Lin believes that conclusions about weight loss through intermittent fasting can vary. It doesn’t work for everyone and some even consider it harmful to health. Regardless of the method, reducing calorie intake can lead to weight loss.

An animal study found that intermittent fasting lowered immune function in mice and increased the risk of heart disease. However, Mr. Lin points out that animal experiments may not directly apply to humans due to differences in diet diversity and regulatory mechanisms between humans and animals. It’s not a straightforward correlation that fasting leads to weakened immunity and illness. Regarding the necessity of breakfast, he suggests it should be tailored to one’s lifestyle. Here are four categories of people who should prioritize having breakfast.

4 Types of People That Benefit From Eating Breakfast

1. Early Risers

Those who wake up around 5–6 a.m. and delay their first meal until noon should establish a breakfast routine.

2. Laborers

Individuals engaged in physically demanding work and those who expend energy early in the day require breakfast to support their work.

3. Professionals

People engaged in mentally demanding tasks benefit from an energy-rich breakfast to fuel brain function and enhance mood.

4. Diabetes Patients

Those on insulin injections or blood sugar-lowering medications may easily develop hypoglycemia if they skip breakfast. Mr. Lin advises those with chronic illnesses to consult their doctors before attempting new dietary approaches to ascertain whether it is suitable for their health condition.

High Protein, Low Carbs for Sharp Minds

For most individuals, breakfast fuels their day with energy. How can you eat breakfast to help your brain be more alert and productive at work? Mr. Lin recommends a high-protein, low-carb breakfast to ensure a clear mind and enhance work efficiency. Increasing the proportion of protein-rich foods such as eggs, milk, soy milk, and meats while reducing refined carbohydrates is advised.

Refined carbohydrates cause a rapid increase in blood sugar, promoting serotonin release and inducing drowsiness. Fiber-rich complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice, or oats, are recommended substitutes for refined carbs.

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From a weight loss perspective, substituting refined carbohydrates with fiber-rich ones, (e.g., switching from toast to sweet potatoes) or reducing refined carbohydrate intake while increasing protein consumption can create a calorie deficit. This leads to a nutritionally dense meal.

Staying up late causes an increase of free radicals in the body, thus, reducing sugar and refined carbohydrate intake is a must to eradicate them. Consuming more plant-based foods helps combat inflammation caused by sleep deprivation. Whole grains like bran and germ can supplement B vitamins and aid recovery.

Essential Nutrients for Breakfast

Oats are a good breakfast choice, with plain oats and oat groats being the best options, followed by instant oats. Although convenient, instant oats can cause rapid blood sugar spikes. The popular oat milk, made by blending oats with water, absorbs even faster, leading to more rapid blood sugar elevation.

The dietary fiber in oats aids in bowel movement, while β-glucans regulate gut bacteria.

Mr. Lin shares that his breakfast often consists of a sandwich and black coffee. If time allows, he prepares whole wheat egg pancakes. For lunch, he focuses on eating fruits and vegetables or grabs a salad from a convenience store to compensate for any missed plant nutrients during breakfast.