Monday, August 19, 2013

First and only meal

I'm in a rut. A big ole breakfast rut.

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Every morning, I put into a saucepan a half banana, 1/3 cup oats, 2/3 cup almond milk, 2/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon chia seeds and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. I let it cook as I put away dishes and prepare something for Miles, stirring occasionally to keep from having to scrub another pot. When it's sufficiently thick, I stir in a teaspoon or two of Nuttzo and eat.

I enjoy it, too, for the most part but I don't love it. I just love that I have whole grains, fruit and some healthy fat in a bowl. There might be some protein, too. And I'm fine with that.

Or I thought I was until I listened to the Another Mother Runner podcast on my long run yesterday. Sarah and Dimity spoke to an Indiana (!!!) sports dietitian Jackie Dikos, who said that people trying to lose or maintain body weight often fall into a rut of eating the same things - more than likely because they garner certain results. However, by eating the same things over and over, one can limit the nutrients that the body is getting. Jackie recommended using a three-day rotation where you would switch breakfasts (or other meals) every three days.

I immediately thought that it was a great idea ... until I realized that I didn't know what breakfasts to add to the rotation. I like eggs but haven't been feeling them lately, and I find that smoothies do not hold me. What. So. Ever. I did get some coupons for Silk Fruity & Creamy yogurt via BzzAgent so some yogurt bowls might be an option.

Tell me: What do you eat for breakfast and how often do you switch it up?

9 comments:

  1. I get so frustrated when I hear conflicting opinions. I've always heard it's effective to default to having the same meals day after day tht work for you. But Jacki's point about diversity of nutrients seems valid...although I don't think it's that big of a deal to be repetitive.
    I do protein shakes, or greek yogurt/berries/nuts/granola or eggs. Nothing too inspiring.

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  2. I fall into the breakfast rut, for sure. I think there's some validity to the nutrient argument... however, I feel like if you're eating well balanced meals all day long, you're likely getting most of the nutrients you need. Mix it up if you want, but don't force it if you aren't feeling it. Just make sure you're eating the rainbow the rest of the day! :)

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  3. pop tarts or cold cereal (ducks head in shame). I'm about to give my eating a serious overhaul. it's time.

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  4. For months (maybe years?) I ate exactly 25 frosted mini wheat biscuits and a cup of Twinings tea with 2 sugar cubes.

    Now that I run/work out in the morning, I need something on the go and I've ended up in a Starbucks Bottled Light Frappuccino (bad bad I know) and Nature Made Honey Oat bar rut.

    =/

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  5. I do scrambled eggs (made in a coffee cup in the microwave) in a wheat tortilla with salsa or laughing cow cheese often. I am in love with Ezekiel raisin cinnamon muffins too. I sometimes do greek yogurt with lots of fruit and cinnamon mixed in. Hm...what else. Protein pancakes are super easy too.

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  6. I do cottage cheese with blueberries. Sometimes I switch it up and have Greek yogurt with fruit instead. Some mornings I only manage a banana. On the weekends I alternate between plain corn flakes with fruit and granola with fruit. I guess I kind of eat a lot of fruit. But I never even thought about what eating the same thing over and over can do to you.. hmm food for thought!!

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  7. I'm eating my first breakfast or maybe it's just a 2am snack eight now!

    My defaults are oatmeal, pb&j toast, homemade breakfast burritos or yogurt, granola and fruit. When I'm not running late for work I might make a smoothie but I swear unless I have food to chew with it, I only stay satisfied for about an hour.

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  8. I go through phases where I love me the Pictsweet mixed veggie with egg white and laughing cow mixed in and two turkey sausages and hot sauce! yum! But then I'll change to 2% greek Fage with a cup of blueberries and some cinnamon mixed in, also good. But I found this Dave's Killer Bread, yum, I'll have a slice of that with laughing cow chipolte spread on it and a poached egg.......yeah it takes me to happy town! Every Sunday my hubs makes my mom's homemade waffles and puts berries on them, I live for this day! Enjoy!

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  9. Great post with comments. I've picked up some ideas for myself! Your oatmeal concoction is actually different from mine, so I'll try yours this weekend. During the work week, 90% of the time I have an extra large banana (how are they growing these things?!) with some bar that is less than 200 calories but with 4 or more grams of protein - Nature Valley, South Beach, some Special K are typical. When we run out of bananas, I may open a yogurt and top it with nuts or fiber cereal. And on the weekends, I may, as others mentioned, make up several sandwiches - fried or scrambled egg, turkey sausage or mix veggie crumbles into the egg, maybe mix in chopped veggies into the egg too, on an English muffin or two slices of nutty seedy bread.

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