The Paleo Diet Breakfast You Can Really EAT
When you think about the paleo diet breakfast you need to think a little like a caveman. I know that sounds really strange but the foods that cavemen ate were what humans were basically meant to eat. Meat, fish, fowl, eggs, berries, root vegetables and some kinds of nuts are the basics for a healthy paleo diet.
Steak and eggs. Yum!
Most of us eat a whole array of starchy, sweet, salty, processed foods that were never meant to be a part of the human diet. I could go into a lengthy explanation about how our diet evolved to include these foods but that’s not what this article is about. This article is about what you CAN EAT for a paleo diet breakfast!
Now the purpose of breakfast is to “break” the “fast” that your body has been in since last eating the evening before. This is the best time to boost your energy with protein and healthy nutrients. Most people enjoy a full breakfast but some prefer to skip this meal and wait a few hours to have that first meal.
This is okay as long as you are listening to the signs your body is giving you. If you truly don’t feel hungry that’s fine, but don’t skip breakfast just because you are rushing. It will catch up with you later in the day by giving you headaches and stomach pains, brain fog and irritability.
For a healthy paleo diet breakfast, skip the coffee with sugar, the whole grain toast, cereal, bagel or muffin. Start with a cup of tea (no sweetener) or coconut milk. Then bust out the bacon and eggs! That’s what I love about this diet; I can have my hearty ham or steak and some pastured scrambled eggs and not feel guilty. Avoid the potatoes, grits, oats, toast, bagels or English muffin, they just turn to sucrose in your body and get stored as fat.
Feel free to substitute chicken or fish as your protein because you can eat these anytime on a paleo diet, even for breakfast. Once you get used to eating a piece of salmon or other fish with your veggies or fruit for breakfast you will realize what you’ve been missing. Grab whatever leftovers are in the fridge and make breakfast out of it.
If you don’t enjoy the old fashioned country breakfast every day, then make a quick
Blueberry smoothie. Photo courtesy of wikipeida.org
smoothie in the blender with coconut milk, some fresh strawberries, blueberries, and banana with a little ice. If you have a good source for pastured eggs you can one or two of those. It is lighter and gives your body some energy without spiking your blood sugar.
Another great paleo diet breakfast is a fresh green salad. In some Mediterranean countries a traditional breakfast includes eggs and fresh greens with zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots. Again, don’t grab for the pita or the couscous which both are made with processed flour, a big no-no. Add a few crumbled or chopped almonds or walnuts instead.
I hope I’ve given you some helpful ideas on what to cook up for breakfast on a paleo diet. Just remember to be creative with these healthy ingredients and think outside the box. I know you can do this, and I know you’re going to love it!
