How will you know if your breakfasting habits are causing your problems with mood and energy? Do you have any combination of:
- Strong preference for refined carbs: candy, cake, chips, soda, and white bread
- Irregular breakfast habits or habits of sweet or starchy breakfast
- Unsatisfactory energy levels plus: depression, anxiety, learning issues, obesity, diabetes, problems with alcohol or confirmed/suspected eating disorder
If so, the Suppers breakfast challenge will give you important data about your body. All you need to do is try four different breakfasts and note how you feel. On Days 1 and 2, you have what you usually have, then select three from the range of different recipes listed below to test your hunches about which foods will be most energizing and carry you the longest.
Days 1 and 2: Do what you usually do
Days 3 and 4: Have scrambled eggs with some green vegetables and NOTHING ELSE
Days 5 and 6: Have unsweetened oatmeal or whole grain cereal and milk or milk substitute and NOTHING ELSE
Days 7 and 8: Have breakfast chili and NOTHING ELSE
If you would like to try a vegan raw fruit option, substitute a fruit smoothie (see below) for the eggs or chili.
Rationale: If you have a combination of the issues that the Suppers programs deal with -- depression, anxiety, learning issues, obesity, diabetes and/or problems with alcohol -- AND a strong preference for refined carbohydrates, it’s data. Our members usually start improving when they find the right kind of breakfast for them. For some, oatmeal works. For most, a meal that combines adequate protein, high quality fat, and low starch vegetables brings a big boost of energy, holds off cravings, and levels out moods. And for some of our members, a strict vegan approach emphasizing in-season fruits has brought vibrant health. But you won’t know which works best for you until you try an experiment and observe the results.
Just note how you feel through the day. If you must have coffee, wait until an hour after you eat, or you’ll sabotage the experiment. If you can’t wait for your coffee, that’s data.
Recipes:
Breakfast Challenge Lentil Stew
Breakfast Challenge Scrambled Eggs
Breakfast Challenge Scrambled Tofu
Tracking
Choose a few things you’d like to track like energy, mood, alertness, concentration, number of hours before hunger sets in, cravings. Make note of how you feel throughout the day. For each of the eight days, note how you feel 1) at breakfast, 2) throughout morning, 3) midday, 4) afternoon and 5) evening. Use this Breakfast Challenge Chart to help with your tracking.