Training & Nutrition - What to eat for breakfast?

Can anyone recommend a lower carb breakfast that isn't yogurt (it gets to my stomach in the morning).

Right now, I'm eating cereal with my kids, and I've been advised that moving to a higher protein/lower carb based meals would be helpful in terms of training and weight loss.

Scrambled Egg Whites and Ground turkey... High in protein and low in carbs

Cottage cheese with almost anything in it.

Eggs with spinach and a little mozzarella cheese.

Steak and eggs, baby!

Steak and eggs, baby!
ha yeah right.

I'm partial to Raisin Bran for breakfast. It's great stuff for weight loss or weight maintenance. It's pretty high in carbs, but a lot of that is from fiber, so it doesn't count so much. Added protein and calcium from skim milk makes for good training as long as you give it time to settle before you get your heart rate up.

Egg whites are great too if you're really trying to cut the weight. Pure protein, no fat, no carbs. I wouldn't recommend any type of training on a low carb diet tho.

Egg Beaters and Smoked Salmon....

MMMMmmmmm

ha yeah right.

I'm partial to Raisin Bran for breakfast. It's great stuff for weight loss or weight maintenance. It's pretty high in carbs, but a lot of that is from fiber, so it doesn't count so much. Added protein and calcium from skim milk makes for good training as long as you give it time to settle before you get your heart rate up.

Egg whites are great too if you're really trying to cut the weight. Pure protein, no fat, no carbs. I wouldn't recommend any type of training on a low carb diet tho.

Sure, raisin bran is great for weight loss and maintenance - if you're a 15 year old girl.

Eggs.

Sure, raisin bran is great for weight loss and maintenance - if you're a 15 year old girl.
what the heck is that supposed to mean?

lol... just eat some meat and egg whites

what the heck is that supposed to mean?

Greg has lots of good info... he just gets a little spunky at times. Probably all that synthetic testosterone. ;)

Eggs. I have seen claims that they also help keep you feeling full longer (so you snack less), but that may be Egg Council propaganda.

Greg has lots of good info... he just gets a little spunky at times. Probably all that synthetic testosterone. ;)

Synthetic test is a wonderful thing, provided you also take some anti-e to eliminate ball shrinkage! :)

And why I said that:
1. You need more protein in the morning. Your body is in a catabolic state and needs to rebuild.
2. Processed carbs + sugar = recipe for a diabetic like crash, and considering that so many cyclists consume large amounts of simple carbs anyway, it's setting yourself up for potential diabetes. Processed foods like cereals are just bad news.
3. Unless you're training that AM, you don't need the carbs. Your muscles will have plenty of stored glycogen.

If you're gonna eat carbs for breakfast, make it very low glycemic carbs such as oatmeal. I'll often have an egg white omelette with cold oatmeal - just pour milk and berries over it and let it sit 15 minutes to get soft. Yummy.

You need less carbs than you think. I rode 30 hilly miles yesterday on less than 20g of carbs the entire day at a 20mph average. However, more than 30 miles and it's definitely a requirement - that's when I break out the gel and cytomax. Anything less I try to stick to fruit and water when training. A race is a different matter of course.

Eggs. I have seen claims that they also help keep you feeling full longer (so you snack less), but that may be Egg Council propaganda.

Both protein and fat take much longer to digest than carbs - fat being the slowest to digest. Therefore beef, fish and eggs make perfect foods for those who want to increase satiety. Cottage cheese is a good food for brekkie as well for that reason.

what the heck is that supposed to mean?


It means he is both ignorant of nutrition and a chauvinist. Two idiots for the price of one.

It means he is both ignorant of nutrition and a chauvinist. Two idiots for the price of one.


*lol* yeah because we all know you built those guns on raisin bran!

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/HPM/BM68~You-Suck-Big-Time-Posters.jpg

1. You need more protein in the morning. Your body is in a catabolic state and needs to rebuild.
2. Processed carbs + sugar = recipe for a diabetic like crash, and considering that so many cyclists consume large amounts of simple carbs anyway, it's setting yourself up for potential diabetes. Processed foods like cereals are just bad news.
3. Unless you're training that AM, you don't need the carbs. Your muscles will have plenty of stored glycogen.

If you're gonna eat carbs for breakfast, make it very low glycemic carbs such as oatmeal.

You need less carbs than you think. I rode 30 hilly miles yesterday on less than 20g of carbs the entire day at a 20mph average. However, more than 30 miles and it's definitely a requirement

Okay... you've piqued my interest here, in a couple areas, and I need some clarification. I eat pretty healthy, and do a pretty fair job at shunning processed foods. But I'm a cereal hound. Typically generic grape nuts or a flax granola or kashi. They all seem to be less processed than most cereals (no?), and reasonable GI levels. Are you lumping all cereals in your naughty box, or speaking mostly of those all-sugar, almost-no-grain cereals that make up about 80% of the aisle now? (By the way, I am a big fan of steel cut oats, and I am trying to transition to that, but the convenience of cereal is a significant roadblock.)

I am also not sure I can afford to be as anti-carb as you... I never ride less than 30 miles, and I can never seem to get enough carbs (pre and during ride). Moreover, wouldn't you say that carbs are pretty important (in that 4:1 sweet spot with protein) immediately after a hard workout?

Lastly, in my reading, it seems that most people are saying that it is protein that is over-rated and over-used. With the aforementioned obvious exception of post-workout, glycemic window, muscle repair/building. Do you disagree with this philosophy (for someone not interested body building)?

Thinkthin protein bars.

Eat a banana every day. It reduces your chances of cramping in extreme heat. A construction guy told me this. If he doesn't eat a banana every morning, he cramps up by mid-afternoon on a hot day.

Eggs, real eggs, whole eggs. Not that long ago even the Heart Foundations around the world got around to admitting that egg yolks aren't bad for the heart at all and never were but some propaganda dies hard even when the source of the propoganda recants.

I actualy have a salad for breakfast everyday. Mixed salad greens, fresh sauerkraut, avocado, olives and dressed with extra virgin olive oil.

Regards, Anthony

I actualy have a salad for breakfast everyday. Mixed salad greens, fresh sauerkraut, avocado, olives and dressed with extra virgin olive oil.

Regards, AnthonyI'm gonna hurl. Eggs, yes. Grape Nuts cereal, yes. Salad for breakfast? I'd rather fast. Not saying it isn't good for you. Just not appetizing to me at all.

op-if you were told higher protein that just means get SOME not all protein i.e. have egss and oatmeal or egs and ww toast

Eggs with bagel or toast. Pancakes from scratch with whole wheat flour and a little real maple syrup. No butter. French toast, same. Bean burrito with whole wheat or corn tortilla with salsa and cheese in it. Protein shake with bagel or toast. Hot cereal - steel cut oats, oatmeal, farina. Cold cereal - either muesli (LA's breakfast) or granola, with milk but no sugar. Never buy anything in the cereal aisle. Buy these cereals in bulk at a healthy grocery store. Eat something different every morning. Diversity is healthy.

Steel cut oats with raisins everyday!

Okay... you've piqued my interest here, in a couple areas, and I need some clarification. I eat pretty healthy, and do a pretty fair job at shunning processed foods. But I'm a cereal hound. Typically generic grape nuts or a flax granola or kashi. They all seem to be less processed than most cereals (no?), and reasonable GI levels. Are you lumping all cereals in your naughty box, or speaking mostly of those all-sugar, almost-no-grain cereals that make up about 80% of the aisle now? (By the way, I am a big fan of steel cut oats, and I am trying to transition to that, but the convenience of cereal is a significant roadblock.)

I am also not sure I can afford to be as anti-carb as you... I never ride less than 30 miles, and I can never seem to get enough carbs (pre and during ride). Moreover, wouldn't you say that carbs are pretty important (in that 4:1 sweet spot with protein) immediately after a hard workout?

Lastly, in my reading, it seems that most people are saying that it is protein that is over-rated and over-used. With the aforementioned obvious exception of post-workout, glycemic window, muscle repair/building. Do you disagree with this philosophy (for someone not interested body building)?

You bring up a good point. Some people are much more carb tolerant than others - that doesn't mean they NEED the carbs, but it does mean that it will affect them less adversely than others. I used to be convinced that carbs were necessary and you had to have 60% of your diet from them - how wrong I was. I used to think that if I didn't have carbs for a day, I'd bonk and be constantly tired. That was wrong too.

So I tested different carb levels acording to different theories and what I found was that when I wasn't cycling, I did best when all my meals had protein, and 100% of my carb intake came from only veggies and fruits. My joints felt better, allergies cleared up, digestive health was increased - the whole 9 yards. I was flabbergasted, but convinced. I'm almost convinced that gluten is bad news for us too, these days, but I'm not totally sold on that yet.

What I do now is a modified version of that, which structures carbs ony during excercise and post workout. So I intake all the carbs I need during my rides, and protein plus carbs in the two hours post ride or post-gym. I have no problems with fatigue, soreness, or lack of energy with this method.
And yeah, I'm lumping all cereals into the naughty box. It took me YEARS to eliminate them from my diet because they were so convenient. The most processed thing I eat now for breakfast is rolled oats. The cereals you describe are much better than others, but it still ends up being way more carbs than most people need in the morning. Pre-ride might be a different story.

And yes, carbs are absolutely essential post workout, but the suggested ratio is 2:1 CHO:PRO. However, with my clients I don't get that picky. So long as they're eating the right foods at the right times I don't worry if it's 2:1 or 3:1,so long as they're doing it. My athletes OTOH, are a different story.

I'm just giving some very bare-bones info here. You should read John Berardi, Lonnie Lowery, Jeff Volek, et. al. for the real info.

If maintaining 'fullness' is an issue, I've found that taking a fiber supplement (like Citrucel) before eating helps a lot. Slows down digestion, plus it's healthy for those who don't get enough fiber in their diets.

As for breakfast, my vote goes to eggs in all their cooked forms. Maybe supplemented with toast, or oatmeal, or fruit.

Synthetic test is a wonderful thing, provided you also take some anti-e to eliminate ball shrinkage! :)

And why I said that:
1. You need more protein in the morning. Your body is in a catabolic state and needs to rebuild.
2. Processed carbs + sugar = recipe for a diabetic like crash, and considering that so many cyclists consume large amounts of simple carbs anyway, it's setting yourself up for potential diabetes. Processed foods like cereals are just bad news.
3. Unless you're training that AM, you don't need the carbs. Your muscles will have plenty of stored glycogen.

If you're gonna eat carbs for breakfast, make it very low glycemic carbs such as oatmeal. I'll often have an egg white omelette with cold oatmeal - just pour milk and berries over it and let it sit 15 minutes to get soft. Yummy.

You need less carbs than you think. I rode 30 hilly miles yesterday on less than 20g of carbs the entire day at a 20mph average. However, more than 30 miles and it's definitely a requirement - that's when I break out the gel and cytomax. Anything less I try to stick to fruit and water when training. A race is a different matter of course.

Cinnamon is good to put on your oatmeal. It will help keep your blood sugar level. Also, walnuts or almonds are good to eat when snacking on fruit. Fruit on an empty stomach is not good. The sugar will get into the bloodstream quickly and your sugar level will rise. Nuts will help keep this even as well.

Good luck

anyone got a link to a typical pro diet on a stage race?

anyone got a link to a typical pro diet on a stage race?


Hmm, bike magazine posted lance's daily diet during the TDF a couple years back. I don't know why you'd care, though - it's not very relevant to us mere mortals.

Hmm, bike magazine posted lance's daily diet during the TDF a couple years back. I don't know why you'd care, though - it's not very relevant to us mere mortals.
well the ideas the same. and i might do the volta a venezuela next year

anyone got a link to a typical pro diet on a stage race?

The best:
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/10486.0.html

Just found this one...
http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/stories/s1675405.htm

cheers, seems ot have a carb bias doesn't it...

If you are looking to maximize your training, you have to eat like an athlete, not like someone who is just sitting around trying to lose weight. For endurance athletes, you want to eat a ratio of 20-25% fat, 60-65% carbs, and 15% protein. More protein than that will only be stored as carbohydrate, because your body CANNOT use protein as a fuel the way it is--it first has to change it to fat or carbohydrate. The primary benefit of protein to endurance athletes is for muscle and cell repair after workouts. People who do not exercise very much who eat a lot of protein will feel full thanks to the protein, because it takes a long time to digest compared to carbohydrates. Fat takes even longer to digest, and so if you are going for satiety, a high protein and high fat diet (like Atkins) will work fine.

The problem is when you then try to work out. Your muscles need glycogen to function at intensities higher than somewhere around walking pace. When you no longer have enough glycogen in your muscles, you experience a "bonk". Your body has started to metabolize fat instead of protein, and it cannot do this fast enough to keep up with your activity. Hence, it is a good idea to keep your muscles supplied with glycogen. The important thing about breakfast, especially if you work out in the morning, is that when you wake up, your glycogen stores are 50% depleted already. So if you have a race or a workout that is early in the day, you must replenish those glycogen stores, and then you will perform at your best.

Yes, you can eat a high protein breakfast if you are only interested in feeling full until lunch, and your body will have time to store this protein to be used later if you are not riding until later in the day. However, a better strategy for an endurance athlete would be to eat a well balanced breakfast with enough liquid to be fully hydrated, and then snack on fruits and vegetables throughout the day until lunch.

Sorry to have rambled, I just hate to see endurance athletes go crazy about protein when they really don't need it. As for cereal, if thats what you like to eat, check the ingredients. If sugar is not one of the top three listed, its generally not all that bad for you. So go ahead and eat what you enjoy! A well balanced diet and regular exercise will go further toward weight management than any sort of "diet" without exercise. Best of luck in your training.

Alex