Breakfast Troubles

[HaylieMBraaten]

I am not sure if this is the right area to put this question/ problem.  I have one obstacle in regards to fully committing to the Whole30 program and that is my breakfast.  Each morning for breakfast, I have a YOLI YES protein shake with water.  I never have much time so making this in two minutes is perfect for my morning routine without having to wake up even earlier.  I leave my house about 6:45 and then I drink my shake on my way to work (the drive is about 20 minutes).  I looked up the ingredients and it does have stevia extract in it and native whey protein.  Would this complete destroy my Whole30 attempt?  

My goal in doing whole30 is to narrow down what is making my body feel so yucky.  I am thinking it is dairy or gluten (leaning towards gluten).  Would having my shake disrupt this process and destroy my main goal??

[SugarcubeOD]

Hi;

Yes, this would be off limits during a whole 30 based on the ingredients. It also goes against the recommendations of the program which is that we don't want you drinking your food. Liquid food digests faster and messes around with satiety signals.

In order to do a proper re-intro to determine what is making you feel bad, you need to remove all the inflammatory foods so that your gut can heal.

If you need to eat in the car, meatballs, vegetables (either crudite or cold pre-roasted) and olives or something similar is portable and easy to eat while driving if necessary.

Please put down the shake for the 30 days to give yourself the best chance at optimum results

[praxisproject]

Personally I have found whey to be extremely destructive to my health, even more so than other kinds of dairy. It messes with my hormones, my appetite, my blood sugar and my sinuses. I have never felt better since eliminating it from my life.

 

Additionally, many protein shake powders are not gluten free either through cross contamination or ingredients.

 

If the shake is one of the things making you feel bad, you'll never know until you eliminate it and see how you feel, reintroducing it later.

[HaylieMBraaten]

I was afraid of this...now my next question or concern.  I do not find the idea of meatballs of vegetables for breakfast appealing at all.... it makes me not want to eat breakfast in any way....what do I do??  I know eggs, but I am so picky that I will be eating eggs throughout the day.  I do not want to wake up even earlier to prepare anything....I feel like a baby just making excuses so I am sorry for that.  I am just super nervous about this breakfast thing.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Figure out what food you DO like (compliant) and make it the night before and put it in a to-go container.  Re-heating in the morning will take less time than making your shake.

 

Voila!

[ShannonM816]

For many people, eating breakfast is a big change. It may take a week or so, but if you just start making yourself eat a little as soon as possible after you get up in the morning, I think you'll get used to it. 

 

An easy breakfast that might help ease you into the vegetables and meat first thing in the morning could be soup. My personal favorite is a soup I make based on this Golden Cauliflower Soup -- I prefer to use butternut squash instead of the carrots, I usually use chicken broth because it's what I usually have on hand, and I don't really measure things anymore, but it makes a creamy, pureed soup, with a mild, almost sweet flavor. I like to have it, mixed with breakfast sausage, ground beef, leftover chicken, hot dogs -- basically, whatever protein you have on hand. Or you could make yourself a chicken soup. To get in more vegetables, I'll make up a few days' worth of a breakfast salad of chopped jicama, carrots, peeled cucumber, zucchini, snap peas, and maybe some chopped apple or a few halved grapes to have on the side.

[missmunchie]

I was afraid of this...now my next question or concern.  I do not find the idea of meatballs of vegetables for breakfast appealing at all.... it makes me not want to eat breakfast in any way....what do I do??  I know eggs, but I am so picky that I will be eating eggs throughout the day.  I do not want to wake up even earlier to prepare anything....I feel like a baby just making excuses so I am sorry for that.  I am just super nervous about this breakfast thing.

 

No worries, it's tough to change these habits that work for us in many other areas! We all have had that *thing* that was tough to work out. I'm with you on the "no time in the morning" deal. I've got two littles and an hour commute, so would I try to sneak out of the house before they wake up or it's game over on me getting to work on time! For a while I did hardboiled eggs with cut up raw veggies and almond butter, but that got WAY old way fast! 

 

Eggs are just so darn convenient, but I know it's tough to do them all day e'ry day, so maybe you can trade off egg days with more fun stuff. Do you like smoked salmon, or maybe find some prosciutto or deli meat (and as always check labels)? Also, as you eating changes your tastes will change too. There was a time where I could not handle the thought of savory stuff for breakfast, just give me my cereal/muffin/smoothie. You might push through the first couple of weeks and then find leftover cold chicken for breakfast isn't so bad. 

 

I'm sorry I don't have any super good suggestions. Just encouragement. It's tough to figure all of this out right away. Just keep plugging, keep experimenting, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and you'll find your breakfast groove!

[zimpy]

breakfast was a huge change for me too. I usually just have coffee and a banana. the thought of Eggs at 6am make me wanna yack. Here are some suggestions to make ahead
1) veggie frittata - make it the night before - load it with veg. its great cold too! and cut it into triangles. perfect for on the go!

2) my own variation of the "monkey salad" - I also make this the night before with chia seeds, unsweetened coconut, handful of raw almonds or cashews, a few raisins, sprinkle of cinnamon and coconut cream/compliant almond milk voila!

3) banana with almond butter

4) avocado, tomato, a splash of olive oil, salt & pepper

5) procuitto and cantaloupe or honeydew melon (I keep fruit washed and cut, like a fruit salad and thats my fruit for the day)

 

Good luck!! its a huge change, but you CAN DO IT !!!

[ladyshanny]

Hey zimpy, thanks for the breakfast ideas.  We really do encourage people to stick to the meal template as much as possible though, in order to get the most out of their Whole30 and because it is the quickest way to balance hormones and blood sugar.  

 

No version of monkey salad or fruit and almond butters would be recommended as a breakfast.  When you eat sugar-heavy foods first thing in the morning you're basically just giving yourself a huge hit of sugar (even though it's coming from fruit) while you're coming off of an overnight fast.  Not the best thing if hormonal balance and blood sugar control are among your goals.

 

The veggie frittata is a great idea, the avocado and tomato would be excellent if you ate them alongside some sliced cold chicken.

 

If you're having trouble eating a full template meal in the monring, just eat as much as you can from around the plate and then take it with you to eat as soon as you feel able.  This is how you'll teach yourself to eat protein, veggies and fat in the morning.