Eat Your Eggs
You want to know one of my biggest shame cycles? I talk a good self-care game, but I’ve always eaten a bit trashy. I would brush it aside saying my pitta nature could burn up anything. The top of my trash list was how I regularly started my day. Coffee and noshing on whatever leftover sugary cereal or half eaten toast from my kids was my norm. Before kids, at best I’d grab a break room doughnut. My spouse has begged after me to eat a nourishing breakfast for years, and much to his (and my) delight at 43 years of age – I am finally doing just that.
Here’s the back story and why I think you should try starting every day with eggs too!
Earlier this year I wore a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) for one month straight. My good friend recommended Levels CGM after I had complained about my recent weight gain and other symptoms of perimenopause.
The Levels CGM is a small device applied to the upper arm. The sensor is connected to an app on your smart phone that can continuously read your glucose (blood sugar) levels. The magic comes in you tracking your daily routine against the readings. What and when you are eating, your sleep patterns, your activity patterns, daily stress events, etc. The more data points you enter, the better you learn your personal nutrition and activity needs.
For the first week I changed nothing about my daily routine. I continued to have my standard coffee and crap only breakfast. And the numbers – well they were crap too. My glucose levels were spiking and dropping crazy throughout the day. No wonder I was having trouble stabilizing my mood and getting/staying healthy.
Not coincidentally I was also enrolled in a Sport Nutrition Specialist course at the same time. And what I was learning with real time body data on the CGM was lining up with what the textbook was teaching me too.
I wasn’t yet ready to tackle my whole diet, but I was ready to change my breakfast habit. And here’s where the eggs – finally – are coming in.
Today my daily breakfast is two eggs. Cook them up any style, but below are my favorites:
I’ve darn near perfected my omelet. My tip to make this easy and nutritious is to chop and cook a bunch of peppers and onions at the beginning of the week and then just throw a handful in the omelet. Keep it simple.
I’m still working on the precision of poached or over easy, but some research shows this is the most nutritious way to consume your eggs. This cooks off the bacteria we are worried about in the egg whites and preserves the yolks and protein availability of the yokes. Read more about that here.
Add a slice of whole grain bread or one piece of bacon and some fresh fruit on the side. Enjoy!
Since switching to this savory start, I saw my blood glucose levels start and stay more level throughout the day. It’s the eggs and it’s so much more. The eggs were just the fuel I needed to kick start feeling my best each day. Here’s a few key points.
Eggs are complete proteins, meaning they include all of the essential amino acids and reduce the risk for macronutrient deficiencies. So when you start the day with eggs you will have a full tank and you won’t sputter out too quickly.
Eggs have a very low glycemic value, which for me means a blood glucose response around 80-90 mg/dl after the meal. I aim to stay in a zone from 70-120 mg/dl throughout the day so that’s setting me up for a win.
In starting the day with a nutritious and filling meal, I have far less cravings. And I’m far more likely to keep making good choices for my body and mind. When we skip a meal or eat imbalanced, the cravings are not just in your head. They are biological. Start your day on track and it’s easier to stay on track.
Eggs too much to stomach? My no breakfast habit originated because I always felt queasy in the morning. The CGM taught me that I would dip into the danger zone of hypoglycemia at night (the culprit of my nauseous mornings). It all made since why I wanted the sugary cereal or nothing at all each morning. This is a whole other blog, but if that’s you try ending your evenings with a casein shake. This slower digesting milk protein has helped me sleep better, recover easier, and keep my blood sugar level at night so I’m ready for my complete protein egg breakfast. End your night well to start your day right. You see this cyclical effect yes?
Off you go friends. Eat your eggs and fuel yourself for an awesome day.