How eating more in the morning can actually be better for you

I know it’s incredibly hard to shift out of the old diet-culture mindset of having a small, low-calorie breakfast so you “start out strong” and can “save calories” for later meals and snacks. But this can really screw you over.

Let’s talk about bananas.

One of the initial issues I tackled with one client friend when we started working together was breakfast. He’s really consistent with working out in the mornings and then downing a protein shake before jumping onto work calls. 

Protein: great for that post-workout muscle repair and recovery. A fine start. And he really likes the shake (chocolate!), so there’s no need to give that up unless he’s dealing with some health issue or has a goal to focus on whole foods in his intake. (He has neither, really.)

But the problem was, he was experiencing an early afternoon slump where he kept feeling tired.

I found out he likes bananas, so I suggested he try adding a whole banana to his breakfast, whether separately or blended into his protein shake (which comes in a bottle). Why: Bananas are a lovely whole foods source for carbohydrates (about 27 grams!) and our bodies need post-workout carbs to replenish the energy we’ve just burned up.

That first week of adding a banana to his daily breakfast shake, my client friend reported how amazed he was that adding that one banana (1) cut his mid-morning hunger and (2) pushed away that early afternoon slump.

Here’s why it works so well. By eating enough protein and carbohydrates at breakfast after your workout, you’re giving your body the energy it prefers (carbs) while also giving it the protein it needs to recover. Additionally, that protein takes longer to digest, which slows down your body’s absorption of the carbohydrates, helping to prevent that mid-morning or early afternoon crash. Also, you’re eating enough to feel full and satisfied (protein lowers the body’s hunger hormone, ghrelin) so you are less likely to get snackish during the day.

I’d argue this is a fantastic approach whether you’re working out in the morning or not. I throw a whole banana into my own morning smoothie, as well.

One banana. Bam! Simple, sustainable changes. I love it so much.