3 simple steps to get your energy back!

I'm sure your mom told you when you were growing up that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Turns out this popular belief was right, partially. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but in fact, it's not really about whether you eat or not, it's more about what you eat at breakfast that sets up your day for success.

Two words: Blood Sugar.

Starting breakfast with high carbohydrate/high sugar/high starch is what's keeping you from having sustained energy throughout the day. Usually, when we eat these kinds of meals in the morning (and really any time of the day) we get in line to jump into the blood sugar rollercoaster: this is what you experience when you feel those sudden dips of energy that make you scavenge for food and coffee like crazy. A blood sugar rollercoaster is also what is happening inside our bodies when we get "hangry."

Balancing blood sugar issues is quite a task, and many of us probably aren’t equipped to do it on our own. Having an NTP (like moi) by your side to figure out the optimal way to gain your energy back is always the best choice, but there are always some things you can DIY until you can’t.

In order to know how to balance our energy, we need to get a little technical first. I promise to keep it brief:

How your blood sugar works (simplified)

This is what happens when we have a donut + coffee for breakfast:

1. You haven’t eaten in 8+ hours. Your blood sugar is LOW.

2. But then we eat a donut + coffee for breakfast. Blood sugar suddenly spikes. We may feel good within a few minutes, but then we may experience jitters, hyperactivity, and difficulty focusing. Our adrenal glands start firing up some stress hormones. Our pancreas releases insulin to store fat ASAP. The ultimate goal is to lower your blood sugar and bring it back to balance.

3. Then, after all that insulin + stress, our blood sugar drops. The thing is that it doesn’t get stabilized, it dips way too low. Think about stopping a tiny kitchen fire with 100 fire hoses: you stop the fire but then in the process flood the house.

4. When our blood sugar drops we may experience excessive hunger or cravings, “hanger”, headaches and more. Our liver starts creating glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis, and our body gets into a state of emergency because to our body no food = dying. After we’ve reached for that large cup of coffee, the cycle repeats itself. This is the blood sugar rollercoaster I was talking about earlier.

5. Neither high nor low blood sugar levels are good for us. They need to remain stable. When these levels are stable, then we experience steady energy throughout the day, without high highs or low lows.

Now that you have a bit of an overview, follow these steps to balance your blood sugar levels:

Do’s and don’ts of breakfast

1. Don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach

   Coffee is calorie-free, but caffeine still fires up our adrenal glands, the ones responsible for secreting all the stress hormones. When we drink coffee on an empty stomach, this caffeine is getting absorbed really quickly by the body, firing up those stress hormones. A way to avoid this from happening is having coffee at the time of a meal, that way it will get absorbed by the body at a much slower pace.

2. Have a breakfast that contains both FAT + Protein (emphasis on FAT!)

   Why is the typical American breakfast a toast with jam? Or cheerios and milk? I’m sorry to tell you, but oatmeal isn’t any better (when it comes to blood sugar levels at least). Start your breakfast with eggs, avocado, good quality sausages, full-fat yogurt… these foods will keep you satiated and are likely to help you avoid those energy dips that we experience with high-carb breakfasts.

3. Don’t ignore snack o-clock

   When we eat balanced meals with the perfect macronutrient ratio and the perfect amount of calories for our individual needs, chances are we can have just 3 meals per day and be fiiiine. But most of us don’t eat that way, it’s not that simple. For that reason, when your stomach starts rumbling, don’t ignore it. Hunger cues are HEALTHY, honor them and listen to them.

   Now, not all snacks are created equal. In order for a snack to be good, it has to have 2 things ***you know what I’m about to say*** fat and protein. Whatever that is: a full-fat, low sugar yogurt, some beef jerky, an apple with almond butter: fat and protein. ESPECIALLY fat

Do these 3 simple steps and you’d experience more energy, fewer cravings, and a more stable mood.

Thank you for reading!