Diet Disagreement - Best Breakfast Foods?

I have learned that fruit is best to eat on an empty stomach, but protein sticks with you longer....perhaps a combination...fruit first followed by an egg?

You need both the protein and whole grains , like an egg and a couple of pieces of whole grain toast , a good breakfast bread with raisins for added fruit, glass of orange juice. is so good for you , the key word is balanced.

If he likes cereal, which my husband does as well, you can buy a high protein cereal. My husband loves Special K. The original has 6g of protein per serving.

After reading all the opinions, here's mine:

You buy what you want for breakfast, your husband buys what he wants for breakfast and see who is more fit after six months.

Blessings........

As has been tossed around a bit, you're both right, and both wrong.

In large part, because

1) You DID ask 2 different questions. Because healthy and healthy weightloss are 2 entirely different creatures, and are even more different from their 2nd cousin 9 times removed; unhealthy weightloss. Some people need to gain weight to be healthy, others need extreme calories to meet their exercise expenditure (when I was competing, and when I was military in the field EACH meal would have between 4k & 6k calories), others are dealing with hypo or hyper glycemia, others, others, others, others.

2) "Healthy" varies a great deal from one person to the next, because their needs are so different. If you're going to spend 10 out of the next 12 hours sitting, that's vastly different from someone spending 10 out of the next standing, in light motion, in heavy motion, spurts, endurance. Not even taking into account special dietary needs that are created by conditions like pregnancy, anorexia, illness (super high in fat!!!), cancer (no immune boosting foods!!!), heart disease, high BP, diabetes... the list goes on.

To backtrack a second, however... pure carbs in the morning = bad. Period. UNLESS you're trying to gain weight (cereal even by itself isn't pure carb, and with milk nowhere near). The reason is chemical. Until you eat something that either has fats or proteins in it your metabolism is still in "sleep" mode. Not until you consume fats or proteins (like the milk in cereal, or heck, even a latte) does your digestive system switch into "day" mode. If you consume pure carbs... it just gets stored as fat.

It CRACKS ME UP when I hear my (beloved) friends (or worse, people trying to sell you stuff) go on at length about this being healthy/ that being healthy. REALLY... NOTHING IS HEALTHY FOR EVERYONE. Not even water. It all depends on individual needs. And those get so varied and complex people do actually go to school for 4 years to get a degree in nutrition.

But, so you know... you DON'T actually eat foods high in protein for breakfast. Actually, you do what I do... head straight for the fats. While there's protein in cheese & peanut butter... those are fats heavy foods. I personally have Brie & baguettes for breakfast. I'm anorexic (although you wouldn't "know" to look at me). I have to convince my metabolism each and every single day that I'm not going to starve it again. Which means eating 5-6 times per day, and for me, a fat rich breakfast that my body can burn off as I go through my day.

Balance is definitely the key. Make sure his breakfast cereals have some whole grains. Then switch to whole milk unless he has really high cholesterol issues, not skim. Whole milk is better at delivering the vitamin D that we all need more of, because vitamin D is fat soluble. So is Vitamin A. Fortified skim milk is not really helping much, and the amount of milkfat in whole milk is 3% vs. 2 or 1% in reduced fat. Not much difference as far as cutting fat, but a huge difference in delivering vitamins to your body. Sounds like you and your daughters are doing fine with the balance as long as your carbs (the fruit) is whole fruit and not juice, so you get the fiber too.

You actually never need to "carb load" unless you're about to run a marathon or do a triathlon or something. Even then you also need a lot of protein. A lot of carbs just shoots ypur blood sugar high then it plummets making want to wolf down more fatty carbs.

Here's a good one that should make you both happy: 1/2 or 1 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch mixed with a container of fat free peach yogurt and a bunch of strawberries and blackberries.

I'm in the protein camp. Why? I feel better and eat less over the course of the day if I do that. I do have a small amount of carbs and sometimes fruit with it. Everyone's body operates differently though. Maybe carbs is what he needs in the morning.

Protein definitely. Eggs!!!

Is he running a marathon every day? Then he doesn't need to "carbo load." Can't go wrong with protein and fruit for a great breakfast that will last until lunch. I like yogurt and fruit with some seeds and nuts sprinkled on top (gotta love some crunch factor).

For a healthy lifestyle and to lose weight, all meals should have a combination of carbs, fats, and proteins.

Protein is good but you do need to pair it with a carb. Breakfast literally means "break the fast", the fast you've just had for about 8-12 hours because you haven't eaten.

Breakfast should absolutely begin with at least 8 ounces of water and possibly 16. Why? During sleep, your body has been hard at work repairing, restoring, and regrowing and in order to do this the body has used a lot of water. Most people wake up dehydrated (but don't realize it), so you want to be sure to hydrate right away.

Next, carbs are an important part of breakfast but most people aren't going to run a marathon (so, your husband is wrong...sorry). A whole grain, complex carb is good because the carbs will be broken down and released slowly in the blood. Simple carbs flood the bloodstream and spike blood sugar. If your body does not use these right away, they will be converted and stored as fat.

Proteins are also important first thing because you need to restore the protein your body has used overnight as you slept. Good choices would be peanut butter, low-fat dairy, and even egg whites.

If you look at your entire day, typically one should eat more of their carbs (because they provide energy) early on during the day and slowly taper down (because no one needs energy in the evening to sleep!).

And...to respond to your so what happened: You are absolutely right that even though he is eating a decent carb breakfast, he should also be including a protein HOWEVER, the skim milk is considered a protein source. Besides, carbo-loading is usually done about 2 days prior to a heavy endurance event and not on a daily basis (you carbo-load to be sure your muscles and liver are loaded up with glycogen during the single endurance event about to be performed).

Personally - I think the breakfast you described is WAY better and more balanced!

The first meal of the day gives you energy to begin your day. Protein is very important! It will give you tons of energy. Peanut butter, however, is not a good choice.. unless it is all natural (and I hate all natural peanut butter! bleh!). I say a few eggs, a few pieces of turkey bacon, and maybe even a small yogurt OR a small piece of fruit. I would not overload on carbs no matter what meal it is. Those should always be in moderation. The more protein you have in your diet, the less hungry you will be throughout the day.

Everyone's an expert on weight loss. haha! I laugh because everyone thinks they know the right answer. But the truth is, a lot of us *do* know the right answer, FOR OURSELVES. The reality of health and especially weight loss is that as different as we are on the outside, we are equally different in our metabolisms, the way our body breaks down sugars, etc. For me, "carb loading" is a ridiculous idea and I would never lose weight, regardless of calories in/calories out. I eat high protein meals with whole grains only, 2-3 times/day. My husband can handle more grains than I can and still lose weight. For breakfast, for me, high protein is definitely better than carbloading, but I always, ALWAYS incorporate a whole grain into my breakfast because starches are more likely to be burned off if you eat them as early in the day as possible. My brothers could eat starches all day long and NEVER gain weight, so again, everyone is different.

Marathoners also use most of their energy at high performance rates over a (relatively) short period of time. If he's aiming for lots of work for a couple of hours and then crashing, OK. If he's hoping for a balanced day where he has some stamina and brainpower after a few hours without feeling sluggish, then he's go to do something to help his muscles and his brain. Carbs alone are not the answer -- even runners will tell you that.

Protein.. Sorry hubby..
eggs, cheese, etc..

Hi - you win by a long shot (ask any nutritionist). That is unless your husband is going out to chop wood for 4 hours right after eating breakfast. Also, most cereals are generally like junk food (look at the sugar content!). If he wants carbs, should be complex carbs - whole grains, etc. You win this round!

actually either can be right. It's all about the calories. If you are trying to lose weight you want to watch your calorie intake which includes your breakfast. So yes you are right if you had like 2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Protein does help to keep you feeling full and 2 eggs is only about 140 calories. But if your hubby had a bowl of Special K with skim milk and he had the recommended amount on the box it's only 120 calories. But if he had 2 or 3 bowls of cereal then that's way too much. Just like if you had scrambled eggs with lots of cheese and then toast with lots of peanut butter that would be too much for you too.

You are both wrong.

Proteins absorb slowly, and carbs too quickly. You need to eat them together.

Marathoners carb load for that energy spurt, but they also eat plenty of protein as well.

The best breakfast would also include eggs. It's a great protein, is filling and healthy. Eat eggs with his grits, cereal or toast. Add a side of fresh fruit.

Eating a lot of carbs is definitely not the way to go if one is trying to lose weight.

If hubby is running a marathon every morning...then he should go ahead and carb load. But if he isn't (he's not, is he?)... then his body is going to STORE all that quick easy energy. It's not a big deal to have cereal and such sometimes...but to defend it as it's something marathoner's do is ridiculous...unless he is running a marathon.

I agree with you, and I have done it and it is true. If you eat some quality protein (eggs are super) with a little carbs (whole wheat toast ?) then it is going to keep you going till lunch (or beyond). Cereal won't. Simple carbs like breakfast cereals break down in the body quickly into sugars. That's why their Glycemic index is so high. The body needs foods that break down to sugars (quick energy) when running a marathon. Not when sitting at a desk.... lol.

Ha ha, first of all does your husband run marathons???? If not, how does he plan on burning off all those empty carbs?
Secondly, talk to actual marathon runners. There is a difference between a nutrient dense carb and, well, cereal. You win!

Protein is really important for breakfast, but whole grains can have a place. The problem with cereal, is so little cereal is healthy. Even healthy cereals...as a meal on their own...are not good enough. Now, if he ate a bowl of healthy cereal, a hard boiled egg, and some cheese...that would be great. Just cereal alone, not so much. Simple carbs (anything but 100% whole grains) just turn into sugar and have no nutritional value. And the milk in cereal should not be counted as "food," becuase your body burns much of that as sugar.

I mostly agree with you, proteins are best. Fruits and whole grain toast are great, too.

You are both wrong....protein AND carbs are what makes up a good breakfast. You should not have one without the other. But looking at your addition to your post-you are both eating what you should be even though you don't realize it. His cereal (carb)with milk(protein) and your PB(protein) wheat toast (carb).

Balance is best, and the type of cereal your husband eats is the biggest variable in all of this (IMO)! I would challenge his thinking about carb loading though.... unless of course he is going to run a marathon (lol)... it is a different diet for different purposes!

You asked two separate questions. What type of breakfast for 1) a healthy lifestyle, and 2) to lose weight. I think there are two different answers.

"Carbo loading," as your husband puts it, isn't going to help you lose weight. However, is a bowl of cereal "carbo loading?" No. It's not like anyone (I hope not!) is having a big plate of pasta and half a loaf of garlic bread for breakfast. There is nothing wrong with a bowl of cereal in the morning, and I'm surprised so many people knocked it down as basically an unhealthy choice.

The alternative "protein" is high in fat and cholesterol. Sure, it might give you energy, but do you really want a bunch of protein in the morning, followed by lunch and dinner? Yuck. Whenever I have meat for breakfast, I feel heavy all day...and eggs don't stick with me. I prefer eggs for supper if I'm going to have them...that's just personal opinion, I guess.

Probably somewhere in the middle is good. I have cereal because it's quick and I certainly don't have time to make myself an egg white turkey veggie olive oil omelet in the morning. Yeesh, I already get up at 5:30. However, my oldest daughter gets quite a variety...cereal, bagels with sugar-free whipped cream, french toast, waffles, sausage, yogurt, apples, bananas, cheese sticks, etc...more grain than protein, for sure.

I prefer something light but filling in the morning...hence, more carbs. I think that plus fruit carries you through nicely to lunch (which too many people skip) and for lunch there is always protein to carry you to supper.

I guess I don't think there's a right answer.

almost every morning i have a big fat egg white omlette, made with olive oil in the pan and whatever veggies and protein (chicken or turkey) is in the fridge. i feel good and it can hold me until 2 but if i wait till 2 or 3 to eat anything i am suddenly starving and eat too much, no good. but the breakfast is great. i just have to always eat lunch. for me, the essential thing in losing weight is to cut out all white bread, white pasta, most pasta and bread altogether, but i buy the healthiest bread and pasta i can and when we eat it, thats what we eat. i feel better. i eat a lot more protein and less carbs. protein holds you steady longer, look up info about blood sugar and stuff like that.

Both carbs AND protein! Oatmeal, berries and milk, an egg, protein powder in the oatmeal, or some sort of protein is the best breakfast. A whole grain cereal with banana or berries and milk is good too (milk being the protein - there would also be some protein in the whole grain cereal). Grape Nuts is a wonderful cereal - lots of fiber and some protein! Make sure you eat a high fiber breakfast, a fruit and protein.

The right answer is both! You're both right, but not completely. Just like every other meal, everything should be had in balance. You need carbs to get you going quickly, but you need protein to help sustain you through the morning. In theory, you should also have some fruit with breakfast. Most people don't do all of that, myself included.

EatingWell.com has a lot of recipe/menu ideas for any meal (breakfast included). This particular link is for "heart-healthy" recipes. I figured you can't go wrong going down that route! Good luck!
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/weight_loss_di...

I love cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast. Take a cantelope, cut in half, take out seeds, fill center with cottage cheese. Or dice a peach into a bowl, top with cottage cheese. UMMMM and it stays with me for hours. I don't get hungry. (you can top with a little sugar)
If I eat a bowl of cherrieos or rice crispies even if I add fruit, I am satisfied for maybe an hour, then I am so hungry I will get the shakes. I'm not diabetic or pre-diabetic but I guess my body metabolizes the simple carbs so fast it doesn't pay to eat them.
I need protein for breakfast, in order to stay full until lunch. Every body is different, what works for you may not work for your hubby. Why argue about it just do what works for each of you.