Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova.
Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.
Today we will discuss the topic of the right breakfast: its composition, timing and even offer you some ideas for preparing and combining dishes.
Inessa Tsarkova
Perhaps the most famous phrase of Alexander Suvorov, which many people perceive as a guide to action, is “Make breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner to the enemy.” But as it turned out, the great commander had in mind not the principles of proper nutrition, but the best nutrition for a warrior who should always be ready for night combat. Suvorov himself ate very modestly and according to completely different principles. He woke up before dawn, took a long bath with ice-cold water, and drank only a few cups of sweet tea for breakfast. Lunch was already more substantial (consisting of fish soup or cabbage soup and occasionally a second course) and coincided with the breakfast of his comrades-in-arms (around 8-9 in the morning).
Modern recommendations continue to state that breakfast should be early and hearty and consist of animal proteins, vegetable fats and complex carbohydrates. However, some people do not like to eat in the morning. Should you force yourself to eat breakfast? And in general, when is the best time to have breakfast and what products to choose for this?
The surprisingly overlapping modern knowledge of physiologists and the ancient knowledge of Ayurveda (translated from Sanskrit as “knowledge of life” – the science of human health) will help us understand.
Like all living things on Earth, the human body works according to biorhythms. These fluctuations mostly depend on the activity of the sun. Moreover, different organs and systems have both daily (circadian) and seasonal rhythms of activity.
Modern scientists and ancient sages agree that a person should sleep at night (in the dark) and eat and be active during the day (when the sun is above the horizon).
Modern research has also confirmed the ancient knowledge that at 4-5 in the morning the body prepares for awakening, as the production of daytime hormones increases and night hormones – melatonin and somatotropin – decreases. At six in the morning, the adrenal glands begin to produce cortisol, the “wake-up hormone.” If you go to bed according to physiological biorhythms (21:00–22:00), then it is precisely at this time (about six in the morning) that a healthy body wakes up on its own, even without the help of an alarm clock. It is known that all diurnal animals on the planet wake up with the first rays of the sun and fall asleep when it disappears over the horizon. It turns out that if we follow these natural biorhythms, our body systems, especially the hormonal, nervous and digestive systems, work optimally to maintain our health.
It is also important to know that three hours of evening sleep before midnight is considered “gold” for the full regeneration of the nervous system and the activation of night hormones that “repair” and rejuvenate us.
After waking up, it is time to activate the body’s muscles and transport systems (lymph and blood). To do this, it is useful to do breathing exercises with diaphragmatic breathing, morning stretching and gymnastics, walking (or jogging) and taking a contrast shower.
No wonder there is a saying: “Breakfast must be earned.” All our younger brothers and ancestors in the wild always went in search of food in the morning.
Modern dietetics and Ayurveda agree that you should have breakfast in the morning. Many famous and successful people share the same opinion.
“Breakfast is everything. The beginning is the first thing. “This is a breath that means commitment to a new day, to the continuation of life,” wrote British journalist, critic and author of many books, Adrian Gill.
So which breakfasts are truly healthy?
The optimal composition of breakfast products will depend on the person’s build, age and activity during the day, state of health (especially the digestive system) and time of year.
Old treatises on health recommend eating light and “lively” food for breakfast, which will be easily digested and absorbed by the body, filling it with vital energy.
Physiologists and biochemists have slightly different opinions based on the laws of biorhythmology. They argue that cleaning processes occur in our cells and systems from morning to noon and should not be interfered with by eating. Therefore, from their point of view, it is recommended to drink only after waking up.
So it becomes clear what exactly you should not do when choosing your best breakfast option: do not eat immediately after waking up and do not choose hard-to-digest foods (animal proteins and complex combinations are especially difficult to digest). You should also not use refined products (buns, muffins, pancakes made from refined flour, instant cereals), as they greatly increase blood sugar, overload the pancreas and do not contain live enzymes and vitamins.
If you don’t have an appetite, forcing yourself to eat breakfast isn’t worth it either.
After all, it is the presence of appetite and the feeling of hunger that indicates that the body needs to be recharged in the form of food and is ready to digest it.
It is important to know that the process of digestion and assimilation of food is a very energy-consuming process for the body. If you don’t want to eat at all in the morning, you can drink two or three glasses of clean hot water immediately after waking up (this is always useful), and a little later you can just drink a cup of date tea (or even better, a hot drink with lemon, cinnamon and ginger) or a glass of freshly squeezed juice.
And move the full breakfast to a later time – closer to 11-12, when the appetite appears.
If you do not have an appetite in the morning, you should also pay attention to the time and composition of dinner. Those who have a late and heavy dinner often do not want to eat in the morning, and this is not good for health and body shape.
The second option is in the morning, when your appetite has increased and you are ready for breakfast. In this case, you must follow a few important rules.
— The best time for breakfast is 1.5-2 hours after waking up.
— It is very important to “wake up the body” with some kind of physical activity before eating and morning wellness procedures. For example, do breathing exercises, meditate, do morning stretches or light exercises, then a contrast shower will be useful.
— The best time for breakfast is between 7:30 and 08:00. During this period, people usually prepare to go to work or school, and the activities of the hollow organs in the body (stomach, gallbladder, intestines) increase.
— In order for your food to be better digested and absorbed, it is very important to have breakfast in a calm state and in a good mood (when the parasympathetic nervous system is active), not to rush and chew your food thoroughly.
— For fuller satiety, try to use all five senses during breakfast. Vision: Decorate the plate beautifully so that it is pleasant to see watch it (for example, you can decorate the dish with bright cranberries and mint sprigs). Flavor and texture (touch): use different flavor tones. To do this, various ingredients can be added to main dishes (but not more than 10% of their weight). For sweetness, you can add a drop of honey or pieces of sweet fruit, berries (cranberries, currants, cherries, dried barberries) or lemon juice can give a sour taste, soy sauce or crunchy wakame seaweed can give a salty taste, sunflower and pumpkin seeds also add a pleasant taste. While it has crunchiness, softness and viscosity can be achieved with soaked hazelnuts or a spoonful of GHI oil. Smell (be aware of the aroma of dishes and enjoy): your favorite spices will add aroma, piquancy and piquancy (especially good to add cinnamon, fennel, anise, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, cumin, cumin, star anise, saffron in early spring). engage hearing You can turn on the sounds of nature or pleasant music.
— Breakfast should be light, as digestive processes are still weak in the morning. You can even split it into two doses: first drink freshly squeezed juice (from vegetables and citrus) or eat a green smoothie (green banana, any greens, green vegetables, avocado or ready-made nuts or seeds, lemon juice) and a little later, more intensely Have a second breakfast.
When choosing food for breakfast, it is important to take into account seasonality and the condition of the body.
If you have a good “digestive fire”, you can immediately prepare a hot hot breakfast in the cold season (winter and early spring).
These can be: boiled vegetables (for example, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green peas); prepared nuts and seeds, porridges from seeds or light grains (flax, amaranth, hemp, chia, green buckwheat, quinoa, millet, oatmeal), best cooked in water with the addition of GHI oil (or ghee). It can also be made sweet by adding honey, dried fruits and berries. Or not flavored with chopped herbs, vegetables, bitterness and spices.
Vegetable salads consisting of leafy and root vegetables with the addition of sprouts, prepared nuts and seeds, flavored with unrefined oils (for example, olive or sesame oil) are also useful for breakfast. Sandwiches with the right bread (for example, flax and vegetable cake) with avocado, GHI oil, baked zucchini or beets, urbeches made from nuts or seeds with the obligatory addition of greens are also suitable for breakfast.
Ayurveda (as well as nutritionists) also recommends homemade fermented milk products for breakfast (for example, naturally fermented baked milk, yogurt, yogurt or fresh cheeses). Fermented dairy products made from goat or sheep milk or plant milk will be easier to digest. It is useful to add chopped herbs, bitter herbs and vegetables to such dishes (similar to the Greek salad recipe).
Although today it is better to use dairy products as little as possible, it should not be forgotten that the quality of milk decreases as a result of changes in the composition of animal feed, the addition of hormones and antibiotics to their diet. in the conditions of storage and subsequent processing of milk and dairy products.
If you have a good appetite in the morning, you do not have digestive problems and you really want to add other animal products, it is better to choose lighter dishes and cook them properly. For example, these can be eggs with runny yolks (poached or poached), lightly salted fish or caviar, and a salad of fresh leaves, herbs and root vegetables, or boiled vegetables cooked until al dente.
This breakfast is suitable for people who move a lot or do sports during the day.
How do you know if the breakfast option you’ve chosen is right for you?
A correct breakfast does not cause fatigue, bloating, discomfort and heaviness in the stomach; On the contrary, it allows you to perform well for a long time, adds strength and vitality, and improves your mood.
Source: People Talk
I’m Roger Gritton, and I’ve been writing for the The Fashion Vibes for over 5 years now. My specialty is beauty news; I’m passionate about covering the latest trends, products, and innovations in the industry. In my time there, I’ve become known as an authority on all things beauty-related.
I love discovering new experts to interview, researching up-and-coming ingredients and techniques that are making their way onto our beauty shelves and highlighting people who are making a difference in the world of cosmetics. My work has appeared not only on The Fashion Vibes, but also several other publications including the New York Times Magazine, Allure Magazine and Refinery29.
