Hectic lives, breakfast

[lydgate]

My life seems to be crazy these days -- deadlines, more deadlines, friends in trouble who need me, social obligations etc. I'm trying to increase my protein intake, since I've become an avid gym-goer again. And I'm NOT a morning person -- always scrambling to get somewhere on time, always five minutes late. Now I know breakfast is an important meal. Is it "cool" if I have a protein shake for breakfast -- after all, it's got quite a few carbs and proteins -- instead of making myself an omelette and/or toast etc? (I'm vegetarian.) I do have "regular" food -- fruits and veggies included -- for lunch and dinner. It would be so much easier just to mix the powder in water -- voila, 300 calories, 26 gms of protein!

Jay

Edited to add -- passed the 400 messages mark, gosh!

[sweetasmeli]

Hey Jay

What about a banana smoothie? Chuck in a banana, some natural yoghurt and (if you like) some honey in a blender.
Just as quick but much more nutritional than protein shakes.
And you can always grab a sesame bar or some wholemeal/rye bread for nibbling on the run.

I always have some sesame bars or crackers in my bag for mid-morning munchies too, in case of low sugar drops.

IMO though not a good idea to eat and rush about...no good for digestion or stress.

Just my thoughts.

Melia

[allopathicholistic]

Here's a near perfect on the go type of breakfast food ... hope you can find it where you are

great new product --the Lara bar which is mainly dates and other fruit
https://www.larabar.com/secure/html/content.php?a=lb_flavors

imho it's quicker than a shake and less liquidy

[Ann]

Hi Jay,

As you know, I'm a veggie too. While I was doing the hep C treatment, I was using a soya based protein shake - and I used to put it in the blender with milk or rice milk and a banana. There are also tons of other good things you can include with the protein powder - plain, bio-active yogurt is an excellent addition. You might want to get yourself a smoothie recipe book for ideas. Get yourself a blender and have fun!

A quick tip - I found out through trial and error that if you are adding protein powder to a blender-smoothie, don't put the powder in first. Put half the liquid in, throw the powder in and give it a quick whirl. Now put the rest of your ingredients in and blend again. Quick, easy and good for you too.

Oh, and beware the breakfast bar. Many of them are loaded with sugars, fats, salt (sodium) and other crap you don't need, all dressed up in a wrapper that says "wholesome" or "nutritional". Bunkum, in most cases. They're usually just junk food with a feel-good wrapper.

Oh... just remembered another tip. Ripe bananas work best in smoothies - and they're also more easily digested then firm ones. (come on guys, stop tittering) I used to get a bunch and leave them in a brown paper bag for a few days. (This speeds ripening) Then when you've got a few spare minutes, get them out, peel them and slice them up. Put the desired amount into individual freezer bags - it helps to lay them out flattish, rather than in one big lump, for quicker defrost. When you get up in the morning, pull a bag out before you do anything else and by the time you're ready to pop them in the blender, they will be sufficiently thawed out to blend nicely. It all saves time - I've got morning issues too so I know how important time-savers are at the start of the day.

Ann

[Esquare]

I eat a bowl of frosted mini-wheats. They actually used mostly sugar on mini-wheats rather than HFCS.  Soon I will go back to unfrosted mini wheats. Even pre-HIV I tried to keep a good bit of fiber in my system. Hopefully that habit will continue to help out.

[Christine]

Many times I eat leftovers from dinner as breakfast. It works out well, since I don't like eggs or most cereals.

Do you take your AM meds with food? You may need something more substantial with the meds to avoid nausea problems.

Christine

[fearless]

Hi Jay,

That sounds like quite a protein hit in the morning.
As Melia and Ann suggested, try adding a banana. It will increase the carb content, which, if you are a busy person in the mornings, will give you extra energy to keep you running smoothly, and bananas are great for the old ticker.
As Ann said, the riper the banana, the sweeter the taste. However, if you suffer diarrhoea from you HIV meds, the 'greener' the banana the better - in this case, I add extra honey.

I used to have a large bowl of natural mueslei every morning but it did nothing for my diarrhoea. Now, I have banana smoothies probably 4 or 5 times a week, mainly to control the diarrhoea, but also as a healthy breakfast. I have few variations on a basic recipe to give me a bit of variety.

The basic: 1 largish banana (preferably organic), about 250 ml fresh organic low fat soy milk, 1 tablespoon of raw organic honey.

To this basic recipe I add one, two or all of these, just to give me variation: 4 or 5 walnuts, 1 large tablespoon organic biodynamic yoghurt, 1/2 tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil. And, sometimes a pinch of nutmeg.

Then I throw down a handfull of HAART medication, Kaletra + Truvada, a multivitamin, a fish oil tablet, and 50 mcg selenium in a liquid form.

Ask Melia how they taste, although I had no soy milk that day.

Little Steve

[lydgate]

I've dedcided now that breakfast is too important to skip. So I have eggs and juice every morning, and occasionally a banana. (I'm not on any meds yet.) Thanks for the input guys. Jay

[sweetasmeli]

Hey Lydgate
You're right, breakfast is really important, especially if you have a busy day ahead. A word of advice though: don't have eggs every day. They're high in cholestoral and eaten daily may well cause constipation. I dont tend to have more than 4 or 5 a week and I alternate the days I have them. I also vary how I have them. Try to keep your breakfasts - and all meals - varied, otherwise you may find you develop intolerances to certain foods.

Now, I have banana smoothies probably 4 or 5 times a week, mainly to control the diarrhoea, but also as a healthy breakfast. I have few variations on a basic recipe to give me a bit of variety.

The basic: 1 largish banana (preferably organic), about 250 ml fresh organic low fat soy milk, 1 tablespoon of raw organic honey.

To this basic recipe I add one, two or all of these, just to give me variation: 4 or 5 walnuts, 1 large tablespoon organic biodynamic yoghurt, 1/2 tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil. And, sometimes a pinch of nutmeg.

Ask Melia how they taste, although I had no soy milk that day.

I only just saw this. Steve's smoothies - well, the one he made me - are yummy! I actually took some of the coconut oil back from Oz to Greece with me!

Happy munching and dont work too hard!

Melia