Analyze my Breakfast

Breakfast like a King
Lunch like Prince 
Dinner like a beggar
​

But what does a king eat for breakfast, if he is on a whole-foods plant-based diet? How does he get enough callories? How will he ensure sufficient protein, and complete protein (complete amino acid profile) intake? Is that enough?

What about feeding the brain with sufficient fatty acids? The brain is around 60% fat. How does this king make sure he consumes enough fat, correct fat, fat that is not dangerous for his arteries, heart and liver? How does this king ensure he eats enough essential minerals and electrolytes?

If this king knows how good it is to space meals far apart, and that he should not snack until lunch, then how does he make sure he will eat a meal that won't leave him craving food before his regularly scheduled lunch?

Well, here is what we ate for breakfast a few days ago. Let's analyze our meal, and see what we can learn.

Water - our mornings begin with water, or at least they should. We try to remember to drink plenty water on an empty stomach, and we stop drinking at least 30min before sitting down to eat. This time gap ensures that the water is fully absorbed, and that there is no liquid in our stomachs to dilute stomach enzymes and acids. We take no drinks with our meals, to ensure that our hydrochloric acid is as strong as needed for effective digestion. The faster food digests, the least amount of fermentation (rotting) in the stomach.

Pancakes with wholegrain flour (I forgot to make this one with multigrain. Combining grains like adding oats, etc., is a great way to ensure that you get a complete amino acid profile (which is just fancy words for a complete protein). To compensate, I added some savoury granola to the topping-options for our pancakes. It was delicious.
Fruit - fresher the better - not too many different kinds in one meal. We include neutral fruit for savory options, and herbs would have been a great add-on to get some leafy greens into the meal, but I was too cold to go outside and harvest some from the garden.
Seeds are an obligatory add-on to our breakfasts. We vary them, and often use a blend of ground seeds. They provide essential fatty acids (fats) and minerals, not to mention the great proteins. Seeds areu almost a free-food in our home. You can have as many as you feel like.
Nuts - we use these in moderation, but they are great sources for protein, minerals and healthy fats. I try to vary the type of nut, but almonds get 1st prize for nutrition. Abigail would eat 1kg cashews in one meal if I let her, so I don't always make them available free-form.
Milk - plant-based milk is a great way to make a breakfast fill all the gaps in the appetite as well as the nutrition breakdown. There is such a variety to choose from. We make sure that our milk is sugar free, preservative free and non-GMO. Coconut cream is an occasional treat and adds a calorie boost with various other benefits, and works well for a thicker toping, like for strawberries and cream. And for those who worry that plant-milk is too expensive, feel free to contact me for contact details of great sources for affordable plant-milks.
Worship time - our breakfast begins with time spent reading the Bible. For us, there is no better way to begin a meal than in thanks to our Creator and Provider. This has become a special family time.

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So of course pancakes are not an everyday breakfast for us. But we try to make the most of the morning king-meal. With some planning, a little preparation and a deliberate choice in stocking our pantry, we usually have a three-course breakfast, consisting of:

• a fruit salad or fruit platter with seeds;
• multigrain porridge with honey or dates to sweeten and topped with a plant-milk (and more seeds if preferred), and
• home-made wholegrain bread (usually multigrain and/or sourdough) with nutbutter, olive patte, legume patte, neutral fruit like tomatoe and cucumber, and/or sugar free fruit preserves.

This formula lasts us until lunch which is always a minimum of 5 hours away from breakfast, to allow for complete digestion of breakfast before asking the stomach to do more work. During the hour before lunch we start feeling hungry (excellent sign that the stomach is empty, which is when the stomach muscles rest and rejuvinate to prepare for doing more work). This is when we maximize the opportunity to drink fluids on an empty stomach, which then absorb before adding any more food. ​Drinking clear liquids (no milk) at least 1 hour away from meal times, is the most healthy way to hydrate.

Are you ready to try it out?

This may seem like a crazy amount of mission for a daily breakfast, but I dare say you will love it if you tried it. Since I am preparing two meals a day, never cooking dinners in the evening and done with family feedings way before evening time, preparing for this kind of breakfast is not a mission any more than our old way of eating 3 meals a day.

I challenge you - try it. Pack it. Prove it.

​I look forward to hearing some feedback from your attempts at eating breakfast like a king.