Okay, so I need to start eating breakfast again regularly (and lunch as well). The thing is, most of the foods that people seem to eat for breakfast are A) Way way too filling for morning B) way too elaborate C) greasy (makes me sick in the mornings) or D) sugary (this includes fruit to an extent, and the sort of carbs you find in most breakfast foods). I've got rather hypoglycemic tendencies and too much simple sugars in the morning leads to crash thats worse and earlier than if I just skip breakfast all together. I already drink tea and a full bottle of water (from the tap) every morning.
What would you'all suggest?
For breakfast I usually eat a bit of tofu or meat lightly sauteed with broccoli. Only takes a few minutes to make.
I do the scrambled egg in a tortilla with salsa or I might throw in a piece of meat if I have it. As large or small as you want to make it!
I eat either homemade granola (see my recipe thread) or steel-cut oats. Anything else makes me hungry as hell after about an hour.
Thank you. You are all confirming what I've been reading
Question: Do you eat the same thing every day for breakfast mostly or do you mix things up quite a bit?
I'm asking these questions honestly because I still don't know how to go about feeding myself properly. I got the healthiness of the food down pretty well, but the whole how much, and when to eat, and what (out of the things I know are healthy) is what I don't know yet.
Here's a breakdown:
If you're exercising, you want to shoot for 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat so your body doesn't break down muscle tissue. If you're not exercising, you want 30% protein, 50% carbs, and 20% fat. To get your total caloric needs for a day, you multiply your weight by about 14 (depending on your level of exercise; there are calculators out there that can account for different levels of activity). Then you take that total number and split it into your desired percentages. For protein and carbs you divide by 4 to get grams, for fat you divide by 9. Then you take your numbers and divide them by however many meals you want to eat in a day and you have the approximate amount of grams of carbs, protein, and fat you want in an average meal. And then you do a ton of label-reading. I use http://fitday.com/ to track my food intake because otherwise it's too much of a pain in the ass.
Oh, and I never track anything I eat on the weekends. I don't go hog-wild but I just don't worry about it.
thanks badge.
I'm more worried that I'm not getting /enough/ more than anything else. that, and irregularity
My calorie intake per day is a little under what I should be getting per day. I'm 113 lbs, so 1582 Cal/day, and I'm probably getting between 1000 and 1200, somewhere in there, maybe less (definitely less today). That puts me around 500 per meal if I do things right.
This is honestly the best and most straightforward help I've gotten with this ever. Thanks!
grits are good for breakfast, and can be used as a vehicle for other savory things such as onions, bacon, cheese, ham, etc if you don't like them with butter and sugar.
also, Bob's Red Mill buckwheat hot cereal is fucking awesome with just a touch of butter and salt.
also, croques madame.
Quote from: Dirtytime on March 04, 2009, 02:21:06 AM
grits are good for breakfast, and can be used as a vehicle for other savory things such as onions, bacon, cheese, ham, etc if you don't like them with butter and sugar.
also, Bob's Red Mill buckwheat hot cereal is fucking awesome with just a touch of butter and salt.
also, croques madame.
Funny about the grits, because down south where I am you can actually GET good grits, or the materials to make them, and find out how to make them right.
For now, I'm just going with a high quality whole oat and multigrain and almond cereal. Much better than the stuff I'd been eating before that, and definitely better than the nothing I've been starving myself from.
My regular thing is a bowl of oatmeal and yogurt. Sometimes I spring for deep fried plantains too.
If there is bacon, there is always less of it after breakfast.
If I can, depending on my schedule and what time I wake up, I try not to eat breakfast until about an hour or two after I wake up, I find it helps with being hungry throughout the day. (Though I always have a glass of juice when I wake up.)
Yeah, I've got the same problem as you, Kai. I'm at about 3/4 of where I should be and have a really pathetic appetite. You might want to try protein shakes as additional meals if you're like me and have trouble eating that much food. I have some sort of terrible tasting "chocolate" flavored crap, but blending it with skim milk, a frozen banana and a couple tablespoons of peanut butter helps mask the taste. I do this either before work if I haven't eaten enough, or after work if I just need to top off my calories for the day.
you gotta try out what you can stomach in the morning. i always breakfast on the same thing, but it slowly changes over the months, cause after a while I get bored with it. but I'm very picky on food in the early morning.
(except greasy/savory stuff, i can always eat that, but I hardly ever take the effort to prepare it, plus it doesnt seem very healthy to me)
suggestions for you, just try em out:
- yogurt (or milk) with oats or granola. is probably the best health wise. slow carbs, proteins. really good start of the day.
- variation on the above is if you cut an apple or other fruit (banana?) into pieces and mix it in
- another variation, sometimes quicker and easier to eat, is if you blend the above into a sludge. try it. you can even prepare a huge amount of it for a couple of days. also you can up the amounts of fruit if you like.
- peanutbutter sandwich and a cup of coffee (this is my current breakfast of choice--Dutch peanutbutter is not sweet, but nearly 95% peanuts if you get the right (cheap) brand. and nuts are really healthy.)
- piece of fruit, like an apple or a banana (hey at least you ate *something*)
- a kiwi!
my favourite breakfast is probably leftover pizza from the day before, but if i understand correctly you won't like it :-)
I usually start out with a glass of V8 juice, and a multivitamin.
Then, when I get to work, I have a cup of coffee with a low-fat cereal I found that isn't too sweet:
(http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/75/92/83/00/0075928300029_215X215.jpg)
210 calories
5 g protein
46 g carbohydrate (17 g sugars—some of this is from the dried fruit)
.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat)
0 mg cholesterol
5 g fiber
100 mg sodium
Calories from fat: 2 percent
I also add a few tablespoons of dried cranberries.
I usually eat an apple a few hours later, and then lunch.
Badger and 000 have the right idea with the fruit / granola.
I don't exactly eat breakfast on weekdays. I just get to work, slug coffee, a vitamin, and munch out of a bag of old fashioned oats.
Weekend breakfasts are usually green tea, espresso, or leftovers.
I still eat like a 7 year old so I have breakfast cereal in the morning along with some juice. My current pairing is shredded wheat and this pomegranete juice blend that is really yummy and also has Omega-3's so it's supposed to be good for keeping my noggin in shape.
And because I have to get up so goddamned early by the time I get to work I'm hungry again and enjoy a nice Fiber One granola bar. Mmm, regularity never tasted so good.
Yeah, what I'm getting is that nuts, oats, and in some sort of granola mix with maybe a little fruit (not much) is probably best for me. Low sugar, high fiber, slow carbs, protein in the nuts and the milk.
On the weekends I think I'll have eggs as well.
Oatmeal is one of THE best things you can have, Kai. The vitamins and stick-to-your-ribs factor being key. Yogurts, fruits and nuts being second, in my book.
I wish I had a taste for oatmeal. However....it kinda tastes like hot wet mushy cardboard to me, but then I'm probably making it wrong.
Totally running counter to the point of this thread, last weekend I made my own breakfast sausage with ground pork, sage, cayenne, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Holy fuck, that was awesome.
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 04, 2009, 03:58:10 PM
Totally running counter to the point of this thread, last weekend I made my own breakfast sausage with ground pork, sage, cayenne, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Holy fuck, that was awesome.
That sounds like an awesome weekend breakfast idea.
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 04, 2009, 03:58:10 PM
Totally running counter to the point of this thread, last weekend I made my own breakfast sausage with ground pork, sage, cayenne, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Holy fuck, that was awesome.
Patties? Mm, those do sound good--what did you make accompanying with it? Sourdough pancakes or something?
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 04, 2009, 03:58:10 PM
Totally running counter to the point of this thread, last weekend I made my own breakfast sausage with ground pork, sage, cayenne, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Holy fuck, that was awesome.
That sounds like 155% win. Probably more.
Quote from: Kai on March 04, 2009, 03:57:13 PM
I wish I had a taste for oatmeal. However....it kinda tastes like hot wet mushy cardboard to me, but then I'm probably making it wrong.
Badger knows more about this, but "old fashioned" or "steel cut oats" have much more of a flavor / texture.
If all else fails, I blend chocolate soy milk, protein powder, some peanut butter and a handful of oats.
Quote from: Kai on March 04, 2009, 03:57:13 PM
I wish I had a taste for oatmeal. However....it kinda tastes like hot wet mushy cardboard to me, but then I'm probably making it wrong.
What do you put in it? It's basically a base for ANYthing. I like maltomeal and cream o' wheat, though, for breakfast foods that are hot-cereals. So I don't always need a lot of flavoring either (that, and my mom made this for me constantly as a kiddo, so I have these sensory messages that make me all warm and mushy inside from just one taste of it).
Quote from: Jenne on March 04, 2009, 04:16:34 PM
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 04, 2009, 03:58:10 PM
Totally running counter to the point of this thread, last weekend I made my own breakfast sausage with ground pork, sage, cayenne, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Holy fuck, that was awesome.
Patties? Mm, those do sound good--what did you make accompanying with it? Sourdough pancakes or something?
Yeah, patties. With simple scrambled eggs.
I may up the ante next week by getting some english muffins and attempting a hollandaise-- or something equivalent that isn't simply egg yolks and butter.
See, now *I* want to make sausage! *shakes fist at LMNO* Course, might be an inducement to get my husband to EAT sausage (he's not a fan, I blame his Moose-lim upbringing). He eats pr0k, just VERY sparingly.
I decided to go for it because
1) The butcher had ground pork for sale
and
2) I don't really like maple-flavored breakfast sausage, and the kind I do like (Jimmy Dean Sage) I can only find sporadically.
So, I thought, "fuck it, I'm gonna make it like how I want it to taste!"
Best reason to do it yourself, in my book. My mom's made Italian sausage before, but she used her meat grinder and casings. Not patties. Patties would be easier.
Did you use anything for making them stick together? A gluing agent like breadcrumbs or yolk?
Quote from: Richter on March 04, 2009, 04:33:20 PM
Quote from: Kai on March 04, 2009, 03:57:13 PM
I wish I had a taste for oatmeal. However....it kinda tastes like hot wet mushy cardboard to me, but then I'm probably making it wrong.
Badger knows more about this, but "old fashioned" or "steel cut oats" have much more of a flavor / texture.
If all else fails, I blend chocolate soy milk, protein powder, some peanut butter and a handful of oats.
How about a little honey with that too? I heard honey (as sweeteners go) doesn't tend to spike your blood sugar levels like refined sugar can.
I guess the way I've made it before was basic and with crap ingredients. I like simple so I just figured "oats and water, that should work". I could add butter, milk, cinnamon and honey and it would taste just great, and I could even heat the oatmeal water along with the tea water.
I usually put milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla in my oatmeal/cream of what/gruel.
I like brown sugar. I also like milk, but not too much.
I eat
a) a cheeseburger without the bun, sometimes with bacon
or
b) waffles or tortillas with peanut butter and honey
or
c) bacon, cheese, and cubed potatoes in a bowl, microwaved for about 5 minutes. Sounds gross but oh so tasty and easy.
or
d) leftover pizza or layered mexican dip (cream cheese/beans/salsa/shredded cheese, baked at 350 for 30).
Breakfast is generally my biggest meal because I'm so active at work in the afternoon, and I crash like woah if I don't have a pretty hefty dose of protein. Oatmeal and other cereals are midnight snack foods in my universe =/
Quote from: Jenne on March 04, 2009, 04:56:35 PM
Did you use anything for making them stick together? A gluing agent like breadcrumbs or yolk?
Trust me, the incorprated ground fat from the pork is all the binding agent you need.
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 04, 2009, 07:08:57 PM
Quote from: Jenne on March 04, 2009, 04:56:35 PM
Did you use anything for making them stick together? A gluing agent like breadcrumbs or yolk?
Trust me, the incorprated ground fat from the pork is all the binding agent you need.
Ok. I was thinking in terms of how meatballs usually need SOMEthing.
I usually make beef meatballs, and I agree.
Ground pork is sticky, though.
*refuses to think about why that may be*
My semen, of course.
LMNO
-a little bit of me in everything I do.
I'd hate to be LMNO's roadie.
And by "hate", you mean "deeply desire".
WHERE'S that semen cookbook?
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 04, 2009, 07:29:48 PM
My semen, of course.
LMNO
-a little bit of me in everything I do.
*tries to refrain from pointing out you never show THAT in your "Cooking with LMNO" thread, FAILS*
It's an "additive" in the nam pla.
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 04, 2009, 08:05:24 PM
It's an "additive" in the nam pla.
Which explains a LOT!!
RE: steel cut oats, they taste a lot better and have better texture than rolled oats. They take a long-ass time to cook though so I just make a big ol mess of them and throw them in the fridge. Then I just take out a suitable portion and put on a little brown sugar and fresh-grated nutmeg and heat it in the microwave for a minute.
Basically the best way to cook is to make a lot when you have the time and then pull out portions when you're hungry. I've been making "tv dinners" , put individual portions into ziplocks and leave them in the freezer. If you do this enough times you create a good variety of dinners which can be embellished with whatever fresh produce you have onhand.
Another health tip: avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. That really gives an impetus to make your own food with recognizable ingredients.
I'd probably do more of that stuff, but I don't have a microwave. I cook everything on the stove and have to reheat it on the stove as well.
A tip for using steel-cut oats: if you soak them overnight, they only take 10-15 minutes to cook.
When you buy rolled oatmeal, buy "old fashioned" or "thick rolled", and never "quick"... the "quick" get gummy-mushy fast, and are lacking in texture. I love to add dried cranberries and chopped almonds to my oatmeal after cooking, with a bit of butter, brown sugar, and milk. I also like fresh chopped apples in it.
A quickie "cheater" breakfast is a piece of whole-grain toast (I LOVE Surviva bread by Naturebake: http://www.naturebake.com/surviva.htm) with peanut butter or a slab of cheese. If your mouth is dry in the mornings, like mine (I think from low blood sugar, it only happens in the morning and when I go too long without eating) a slice of crisp, tart apple on either goes a long way to make it easier to eat.
Cream cheese and sliced turkey on a whole-grain bagel.
A chicken leg... sounds weird, but you know how you can get cheapo family packs of chicken legs? Well, if you marinate them, bake them, and then toss them in a big Ziplock, they keep for abut a week in the fridge and they're a tasty, fast cold breakfast.
I haven't thought much about breakfast on the go since I worked outside of the house, but it's coming back to me. :)
I've never cooked oatmeal in water, only in milk.
I can't imagine watery oatmeal tasting good.
but i might be having some translation issues.
Quote from: Regret on March 05, 2009, 02:42:18 AM
I've never cooked oatmeal in water, only in milk.
I can't imagine watery oatmeal tasting good.
but i might be having some translation issues.
This reminds me of milky sticky rice. Another sweet morning treat.
This thread turned out so well I'm thinking of starting a "Lunch foods?" thread.
One word: SANDWICHES
SANDWICHES MADE OUT OF LEFTOVERS
Oh god NOM NOM NOM NOM
Lunch during the week is usually a lavash rolled around sliced turkey, provalone, salami, and brown mustard. With an apple.
For work I eat hotdogs just because I'm lazy and they're easy to pack. (plus I have to make LWHN's lunch too, time is at a premium)
But on the weekends I ususally make my famous grilled cheese sammiches. They vary depending on what kind of break we've bought but any kind of 12-grain bread works well. I load em up with peppers and onions. Mmm...mmm...mmm...mmm tasty.
Would a sandwich be the best thing for me to eat for lunch? It takes some time to make, and good sliced meat and cheese is generally expensive. I eat an apple with my lunch usually, whatever it is.
I am always fond of sandwiches. I had one today from the leftover chicken I made last night.
I usually don't buy sliced deli meats, I make sandwiches out of whatever leftovers I have, so they're not expensive. Does require cooking about twice a week, though. If leftovers are soup, then lunch is soup and a slice of bread.
When I cook, it's often a 2-phase process: phase 1 is some kind of roast or pasta, and phase 2 is soup made from roast remnants or leftover pasta sauce with broth and beans added.
Stir fries make good lunch leftovers, too. You just need some handy-dandy containers to transport leftovers in.
Quote from: Kai on March 05, 2009, 06:29:23 PM
This thread turned out so well I'm thinking of starting a "Lunch foods?" thread.
Just rename this thread "How do I eat good?"
I'm like Nigel, I am a huge leftover fan. Lunch is almost always what is leftover either in a sandwich, on a salad, in a roll up.....
in some article called "12 steps to a better brain", they said eating something with yoghurt and red fruits as lunch is best for braining.
Quote from: Triple Zero on March 06, 2009, 12:13:16 AM
in some article called "12 steps to a better brain", they said eating something with yoghurt and red fruits as lunch is best for braining.
(http://eclecticemily.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/cantbrain.jpg)
blueberries
vurry vurry good fo ya
Quote from: Squid-diddle on March 06, 2009, 04:24:53 AM
blueberries
vurry vurry good fo ya
Yes. And Wild Maine Blueberries are particularily yummy. :wink:
ECH's personal breakfast of champions:
Upon waking, chug one tall glass of water.
or the rest of the glass of wine from last night. whatever's closer to your hand.
go out in the carport and smoke a full-strength camel.
12 oz. STRONG coffee mixed with 6 oz. brown sugar.
another camel. maybe with some hash oil smeared on it, if it's my birthday...
...or any day I don't have to go to work. which is 6 months out of the year due to my unparalleled slack-harvesting abilities.
Another glass of water and a multivitamin.
or another glass of wine and TWO multivitamins. they work better mixed with wine so it's good to take advantage of this and take an extra one.
go outside and see if today is the day your eyes finally adjust to that burning yellow thing in the sky. smoke another camel.
after third successful camel, carpe diem. by the throat, if possible.
...
SIX OUNCES OF BROWN SUGAR!?
Do multivitamins really work better with wine??? Why?
I can't do cigarettes in the morning. Nicotine makes me shaky and groggy.
This morning I had lentil soup for breakfast. I'm contemplating yogurt for lunch.
Quote from: Nigel on March 06, 2009, 09:04:37 PM
Do multivitamins really work better with wine??? Why?
I can't do cigarettes in the morning. Nicotine makes me shaky and groggy.
1. because EVERYTHING works better with wine.
2. my advice? stay in bed until noon.
Quote from: LMNO redux on March 06, 2009, 08:01:36 PM
...
SIX OUNCES OF BROWN SUGAR!?
the spoon should stand up in the cup. without me touching it.
So, lots of advacacy for several glasses of water in the morning. Gotcha.
Quote from: Dirtytime on March 06, 2009, 09:29:26 PM
Quote from: Nigel on March 06, 2009, 09:04:37 PM
Do multivitamins really work better with wine??? Why?
I can't do cigarettes in the morning. Nicotine makes me shaky and groggy.
1. because EVERYTHING works better with wine.
2. my advice? stay in bed until noon.
:lulz:
I'm usually up at 7, but I made it to 9 this morning because Surfer Boy came over and watched the worst movie ever with me.