To limit fatigue and cravings, certain foods should be avoided at breakfast.
If breakfast is an opportunity to refuel after a long night of fasting, there is no question of eating just anything. Indeed, certain foods should be avoided because they promote spikes in blood sugar and consequently fatigue, cravings and ultimately weight gain. There is also no question of forcing yourself if you are not hungry. If you are not hungry in the morning, it means that the body is not demanding calories. “Some people are not hungry in the morning, and will only be hungry at lunchtime. If you are not hungry, you should definitely not force yourself to eat because this risks disrupting your circadian rhythm and to promote weight gain”, warns Dr Alexandra Dalu, anti-aging doctor, mesotherapist and nutritionist. It is essential to respect your chronotype. We all have our own genetic program. Our cells plan a rhythm for sleeping, being hungry, decompressing, being alert. In detail, there are two major types of chronotypes:
►The late chronotype : these are people who naturally go to bed late (at midnight or after) and are not hungry early in the morning. Hunger wakes up later in the morning or just around lunchtime.
►The early chronotype : these are people who go to bed early (before midnight), naturally get up early and who will be hungry early in the morning.
In practice, it is recommended to avoid foods that are too sweet such as pastries, sandwich bread, industrial fruit juices, refined cereals, biscuits, jam and spreads. The classic French breakfast is too sweet. “Bread, jam and industrial fruit juice are just sugar. If it’s complicated for you to skip this combo, the simple fact of adding yogurt, a piece of cheese or a handful of “almonds help avoid the glycemic peak since the sugar is mixed with the rest of the food bowl”, suggests Dr Alexandra Dalu. In the same way, there is no point in making children feel guilty for loving chocolate cereals. If they grow well, do well in school, and sleep well, there is no reason to deprive them of what they love. Because breakfast remains essential for children who are hungry in the morning. Ideally, you should vary the pleasures. “We can offer them organic Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs from time to time, a pancake spread with peanut butter or almond puree”she continues.
For those with a sweet tooth, the ideal breakfast consists of Greek yogurt, nuts or almonds, dried fruits, porridges, protein pancakes. For those with a salty tooth, you can opt for a portion of cheese, a natural yogurt, eggs, a slice of salmon, an avocado, a tomato and a few nuts. The right indicator? “If breakfast keeps you going until lunchtime, you don’t feel the need to snack in the morning and you’re not overweight, that means you’re in the right place.”informs the nutritionist.
Thanks to Dr Alexandra Dalu, anti-aging doctor, mesotherapist, nutritionist and author of “The 100 ideas that prevent you from feeling well” (ed. Leducs)