Breakfast
Breakfast is sometimes called the most important meal of the day, and in a way, that’s true. Personally, I never skip breakfast. However, the time at which I eat breakfast varies from day to day. My breakfast is the meal that breaks my daily fasting period. There is usually at least 16 hours between my last meal the previous evening and my breakfast. About once a week, this is reduced to 12–13 hours. The reason for this is that on that day, I maintain a 24-hour fasting period after my last meal.
Switching
I eat two meals a day. This means I typically combine breakfast and lunch and have a warm meal in the evening. About once a week, I deviate from this pattern. On that day, my breakfast is actually a warm meal. Around lunchtime, I then have a combination of breakfast and lunch. After that, I don’t eat or drink anything for 24 hours, except for water, coffee, and tea. I have been following this routine for several years now, and my body is completely accustomed to it. The main reason I alternate between eating and fasting in this way is to give my metabolism a period of relative rest each day. Rest for recovery processes. Additionally, I have trained my body to easily switch between burning sugar and burning fat.
Three Components
I don’t eat just two meals a day to lose weight. This means I need to get all the necessary nutrients in two meals that most people spread across three. My breakfast is truly a royal meal. It always consists of three components: vegetables, bread, and plant-based dairy. I always start my day with a homemade salad. This salad contains between 300 and 400 grams of vegetables.
Vegetables
Because cruciferous vegetables are very healthy, they are almost always included in my salad. Think of broccoli rice or cauliflower rice and red cabbage. If available, I also add fresh sauerkraut almost every time. Additionally, there is always a handful of legumes (kidney beans, black beans, lentils, or chickpeas) and some carrots. The dressing consists of a splash of organic apple cider vinegar with some organic extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. The reason I often use sauerkraut is that fermented vegetables are highly beneficial for gut health.
Bread
After this vegetable-rich start to my breakfast, I eat a slice of homemade bread spread with homemade hummus and a handful of arugula. The base of my bread is flaxseed flour, to which I add water, wheat gluten, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and instant yeast. It is a protein-rich, low-carb bread. I also love lentil crackers, usually eating two of them, spread with homemade mushroom pâté, tofu spread, and a handful of lamb’s lettuce. To finish, I eat a flaxseed cracker with organic peanut butter and sometimes a slice of Frisian rye bread with homemade red pesto.
Plant-Based Dairy
I always end my breakfast with a bowl of plant-based dairy. The base of this hearty bowl is oatmeal soaked in unsweetened soy milk and 250 grams of soy yogurt. Soy yogurt is a plant-based alternative to yogurt made from soy. I add a mix of chia seeds or hemp seeds, plus flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Cinnamon, turmeric, and black pepper are essential due to their anti-inflammatory effects. The same goes for a handful of mixed nuts and about 100 grams of frozen organic summer fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and black currants).
Diet
I eat a fully plant-based diet. This means I meet my protein needs entirely with plant-based foods. This is not a problem at all. The foods I eat that contain a significant amount of protein include legumes, homemade bread (with flaxseed, wheat gluten, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds), homemade hummus (chickpeas and tahini), lentil crackers with homemade mushroom pâté (walnuts, porcini, and chestnut mushrooms), homemade tofu spread (tofu and chickpeas), flaxseed crackers, peanut butter, Frisian rye bread, red pesto, soy yogurt, soy milk, oatmeal, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and mixed nuts.
Low-Carb
What might stand out is that my breakfast contains relatively few carbohydrates but a significant amount of protein and healthy fats. I thrive on this diet. In fact, if I occasionally eat a breakfast high in carbohydrates, I immediately feel the effects. With my current breakfast composition, I have little to no cravings for snacks until my evening meal—at most, some extra fruit or a piece of extra dark chocolate. With a high-carb breakfast, I get hungry again much sooner. Moreover, consuming a large amount of carbohydrates has a clouding effect on my brain. The clarity and alertness I maintain with a low-carb breakfast disappear when I eat a high-carb one.
Anticipation
Because my breakfast is quite substantial, it’s not a meal I quickly wolf down. I need at least half an hour, but preferably 45 minutes to an hour to enjoy it. I look forward to my breakfast every day. For me, it truly is the most important meal of the day.
How about you? What does your breakfast look like, and do you look forward to it as much as I do?