Highly Energizing Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast seriously is THE most important meal of your day!

Especially if you’re serious about kicking long-term exhaustion to the curb and burying it DEEP.  You know, so you never have to see its ugly mug again!

Problems abound, though, when it comes to breakfast ideas.

Traditional foods like toast, cereal, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal and fresh fruit are ALL wrong for your high energy goal.  And eggs, bacon and a side of Greek yogurt can seriously hold you back too.

So, how ARE you supposed to eat to beat fatigue first thing in the morning?

The Biggest Problems With Breakfast and Low Energy

Before we get into the recipes and options you can choose for higher all-day energy, let’s clear up 2 huge mistakes in the “breakfast” world, okay?

The first is straight-up skipping breakfast (i.e. not eating until well past 10AM).  

Whether you’re not hungry when you wake up, OR you’re trying to “fast” for some reason, missing out on fueling your body at this hormonally crucial time of day is going to backfire on you.

In a very big way.

The second problem, beside eating the wrong foods, is starting off with black coffee.

I admit I’m guilty of this one more often than I’d like, and that I definitely do notice energy crashes and excessive hunger afterwards.

The Hormonal Cycle To Pay Attention To

There’s a lot of talk about the different hormonal cycles between men and women.  You’ve probably heard many, many hormone experts talk about how women have a monthly hormonal cycle while men operate on a daily one.

The truth is, you, too, have a daily hormonal cycle, just like men!  The difference is really that men don’t have a monthly cycle.  

And it’s important to pay attention to both if you’re struggling with fatigue.

This cycle is known as your “circadian rhythm”.  It’s what wakes you up in the morning and keeps you alert, focused and on top of your game until evening, when it then helps you get sleep and fall asleep right on time.

When this cycle is out of whack, you’re exhausted, your energy crashes, you can’t sleep or you want to sleep too much. 

Normally, your circadian rhythm works like this:

Around 6 AM, your pineal gland in the brain signals your adrenals to start pumping out a significant amount of cortisol to wake you up.  This cortisol release stays pretty high until around 9:30 or 10 AM.  (Maybe you’re noticed your focus is so much better in the morning?  This is probably cortisol in action.)

At 10 AM, there is a slow yet noticeable decrease in cortisol towards about 1-2 PM, which it dips quite a bit.  See?  It’s NORMAL to feel less energized in the late afternoon, just not to crash.  

While cortisol is dipping in the afternoon, melatonin begins to release slowly, until it’s normally at its highest around 10 PM.  This is also when cortisol is very low, so that you can fall asleep!

There’s a very good reason for your body to want to sleep at 10 PM - between 10 PM and 2 AM is when your brain’s detoxification system does its best work. If you miss deep sleep during these hours, you’ll suffer from brain fog, inflammation and other problems.

Why Skipping Breakfast Enhances Exhaustion

Okay, so why does skipping breakfast mess up your energy?

If you’re eating enough food throughout the rest of the day, why does it matter that you didn’t eat in the morning?

Well, because when cortisol is rising and that adrenal response kicks on, it uses up a lot of fuel.

Fuel that’s needed to produce enough cortisol to wake you up.

If cortisol isn’t fuelled properly, it starts to steal nutrients away from other areas of your body (like reproductive hormones).  And it tries to feed itself by converting stored energy into glucose.  

Now you start to get abnormally high levels of insulin first thing in the morning which can start to cause insulin resistance.  Leading to energy crashes and cravings for very energy-draining foods like simple carbs - muffins, pasta, bread, etc. 

A breakfast high in protein, healthy fat and fibre helps fuel your brain for better focus, too. So, skipping breakfast means your brain is running on empty for most of the morning! 

Women with chronic fatigue have a dysregulated stress response.  This leads to insulin resistance where now your cells struggle to take in the fast-acting energy production nutrient, glucose.  Essentially you can create a cellular starvation event if you don’t eat in the morning when your body needs fuel.

What To Eat for Breakfast - My Favorite Recipes

The best breakfast for a woman with chronic fatigue, post-viral fatigue and / or adrenal burnout is one that is:

• High protein (15 grams or more)
• High healthy fats (3-4 one tablespoon servings)
• High fibre (4-5 handfuls of your favorite veggies)
• Zero gluten, dairy or sugar/alternatives

Fruit is okay if it’s combined with fat and protein.  Starchy vegetables are great when combined with the above, too.

Breakfast Salad

A salad for breakfast?!?! Yup, it’s actually really delicious and very filling.  Breakfast salads have quickly become one of my favorite ways to start my day.

• 2 cups leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, collard greens, etc.)
• ½ cup chopped bell peppers
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped red onion / green onion
• 1 cup cooked yam, chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 eggs

Combine all ingredients except for the eggs in a bowl.  Cook your eggs to your liking and add to the salad.  I like mine scrambled!

(Sometimes I’ll test out different sauces or dressings on my breakfast salad, too.  I really enjoyed an enchilada sauce I had leftover from a casserole we’d made for dinner the night before.)

Smoothie Bowls & Smoothies

Seriously, you can’t really go wrong with a smoothie or smoothie bowl for breakfast!  They’re quick, simple and delicious.  And very, very versatile!  I’ll share my favorite recipes for each below but you can swap in any of your favorite alternatives.

The only rule I have for a smoothie or smoothie bowl is…it MUST contain at least 20 grams of protein and include 2-3 servings of healthy fats!  A smoothie with just fruit and non-dairy milk will create blood sugar imbalances that promote energy crashes. 

My Favorite Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie - Golden Turmeric Smoothie

• 1 cup non-dairy unsweetened milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein, unsweetened
• ½ zucchini, peeled and chopped (can be frozen)
• 1 chopped, frozen banana
• ¼ avocado, chopped (can be frozen)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds or chopped cashews
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp raw honey (if desired)

Combine all ingredients in a high power blender and blend until smooth.

Chocolate Cashew Smoothie Bowl

• ½ cup non-dairy unsweetened milk
• 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein, unsweetened
• (optional) 1 egg yolk, raw
• ¼ chopped, frozen avocado
• 1 banana, chopped (can be frozen)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tbsp cashews
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• Optional toppings: coconut flakes, chopped nuts, berries

Mix all ingredients except toppings in a blender until smooth; pour into a bowl and top with your favorite toppings!

Chia Pudding

Another super versatile, quick and simple breakfast recipe.  And, it’s very filling!  You can find so many chia pudding recipes online, too.

One of my go-tos is the Chocolate Chia Pudding below.

• ¼ cup chia seeds (not ground)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, unsweetened
• 1 tsp stevia
• ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• ¼-½ cup full-fat coconut milk
• Raw cacao nibs, optional, as a topping

Combine the first 5 ingredients together, mixing well.  Add milks and stir to combine.  Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.  Top with cacao nibs or any other toppings you’d like.  Berries are great on this too!

Oatmeal

Okay, I typically don’t recommend women with chronic fatigue have oatmeal for breakfast.  Grains are quite pro-inflammatory for a lot of women, so be cautious with oatmeal.  I suggest avoiding all grains at breakfast for at least 3 weeks, then slowly test it out to see how you feel.

For women who want oatmeal, though, here’s my enhanced oatmeal recipe.

• ½ cup raw or steel cut oatmeal
• 2 tbsp raw nut butter
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds

Cook the oatmeal as directed, in water or non-dairy milk.  Top with the nut butter and hemp.  You can add a few berries if you want too.  

Hempseed Porridge

Finally, my go-to oatmeal alternative for breakfast is hempseed porridge.  It’s another breakfast staple that can be enhanced with a variety of spices, flavors, toppings, and additions. 

Here’s my go-to porridge when I’m craving something a little heavier:

• ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• ¼ cup hemp seeds
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• ½ tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp stevia
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ cup almond meal or flour

Combine all ingredients except for almond flour in a saucepan and bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once bubbling, cover and let simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in almond flour.  Top with berries, chopped nuts or a splash of non-dairy milk. 

Become an Energized Woman for Life

If you’re ready to harness your feminine hormones for abundance energy, let’s get you started.  

The fastest way to get answers about what you need to eat for highest energy comes with a thorough root cause analysis of your chronic exhaustion.  Start today with a Deep Dive Holistic Nutrition evaluation of your entire symptomology - click here to learn more.