I want to share a very personal story with you. For years of my life I didn’t eat breakfast. I think it started in my late teens. I realize now that I had an eating disorder that came about because I lived in fear of food making me fat and bloated.
I felt powerless because when I ate I either got stomach cramps or would put on weight for no explainable reason. And some foods made me crave more food.
So I made this little idea up: if I didn’t eat breakfast I wouldn’t crave more food all day long and so I’d eat less.
Many times I wasn’t hungry for breakfast anyway so it all worked out fine. Except that I was a complete b*tch most of the time, and truthfully, it didn’t help me with my weight at all because I replaced breakfast with a soy milk mocha for years and years.
After I had my first child, I would go to Jazzercise on an empty stomach and then have a mocha and bow-tie pastry right after. Because I exercised, right?
And just because I wasn’t eating breakfast, doesn’t mean that my body wasn’t getting what it needs to function properly. Your body will break down muscle and bone to get the nutrients it needs to function. So we lose bone and muscle mass, and we elevate our stress hormone cortisol. Especially if we add coffee to the mix.
All bad for PCOS and hormone balance, and bad if we want to feel well.
What I didn’t realize at the time, was that breakfast is the most important meal of the day to get hormonally balanced. When we eat breakfast we are actually breaking the fast from not eating all night. When we eat breakfast it tells our body that it’s morning and it’s time to get going. Breakfast sends hormonal signals to our bodies that can decide how well we sleep that night. Crazy, huh?
Finally I started to figure things out. It wasn’t until I went back to school to learn about food as medicine. What was it that was keeping me stuck in the muck of poor health and icky symptoms? I learned I had to eat breakfast.
But it couldn’t be my usual go-to breakfast foods like french toast, or bagels because even though that’s what I wanted I felt terrible when I ate like that.
So I discovered the breakfast shake. It was light enough that I wouldn’t feel heavy and bloated, it could contain healthy ingredients, and it could last me until lunchtime feeling like a rock star. So I went to my kitchen to put together some easy, but powerful shake recipes that would help you feel like this, and would encourage you to eat breakfast. You can get them here.
That’s when I thought how important it was that we carry our very own hormone-balancing protein powders so you could eat just like me. So now we have them to add to your shake, or take with you for a quick pick-me-up to add to your water!
There’s a “paleo” option and a “vegan” option, and I always have one of each on hand. You can learn more about them here
The moral of the story is…eat breakfast. And a higher protein breakfast is best. I know there’s a big intermittent fasting craze going on out there, but it doesn’t work well for most women. The biggest fast I do is from 7pm to 7am every day. And if your metabolism is on the sensitive side like mine, that’s probably enough fasting for you too.
Eating breakfast will help your insulin and cortisol (blood sugar and stress) to be balanced, right from the get go. You will then be more balanced and more energized all day long. And did you know that what you eat for breakfast makes all the difference in how you sleep at night?
Here’s a quick video on how to make your own shake.
Let me know how your life changes once you start eating breakfast, every day, within an hour of waking.
In Love and Health,
Robin Nielsen
Next Steps
- Take the PCOS Quiz!  Get your score and assess your hormone health risks.
- Join our Facebook Sisterhood Group Pose your questions to this group of like-minded women. Get the answers to your questions and the support you need.
- Checkout the Hormone Reset. Guided Practices to eliminate anxiety, lose weight and boost energy.
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