Back in 2007 for optimal health, I had a Food IgG Allergy test conducted among a whole panel of tests. Now food allergies can basically come in two types: an IgE or IgG antibody reaction.  IgE reactions are what your conventional doctor will measure with a skin prick test.  IgG reactions, on the other hand, are much more subtle and can cause all sorts of symptoms ranging from weight gain, fatigue, bloating, aches and pains.

Basically, they will keep you fat without you knowing it.  My results returned a positive IgG reaction for eggs (which is actually very common) and recommended eliminating them from my diet.  So eggs, which are the main breakfast choice for thousands and are pretty much the only food available on a restaurant’s breakfast menu, suddenly became off limits for me.  Still wanting to consume a high protein breakfast, I had to come up with a variety of options that would suit me.  The following considerations are what I based my breakfast choices on and will help you decide what will best suit you help lose body fat and prevent energy levels from crashing like a half blind Asian female learning how to drive.  Here we go.           

1) A High Protein Breakfast is BEST

Studies have shown that people have the highest energy levels throughout the day and fat loss is more effective with a high protein breakfast.  The best studies to demonstrate this have actually compared a high protein breakfast to other more conventional breakfasts in two different populations – Swedish & Israeli.  The researchers found that the high protein breakfast was superior for enhanced energy levels, concentration and mental drive throughout the day compared to more conventional breakfasts.  Now the real interesting aspect to this is that a high protein breakfast was best for both a carbohydrate tolerant population (Israeli) and a carbohydrate intolerant population (Swedish).  The Israeli’s, when they are not trying to separate a Palestine’s head from his shoulders, have been around agriculture for thousands of years and can be considered somewhat adapted to carbohydrate.  So what this says to us is that a high protein breakfast is best, no matter how well you tolerate carbohydrates in your diet.

Now one type of high protein breakfast I love is any combination of meat & nuts. The major reason behind the aforementioned weight loss and energy levels is the types of amino acids and nutrients a high protein breakfast, like meat and nuts, contains.  Any meat & nut breakfast will have a relatively high amount of tyrosine and phenylalanine, which are the amino acids primarily responsible for the production of the dopamine.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls brain voltage and by ramping up your dopamine production, it will generate more energy and drive throughout the day.  The best meats include duck, pork and any game meat while almonds and walnuts will both raise dopamine levels.   The other great advantage of the meat & nut combination is the amount of choline you will ingest.  Choline is a nutrient that begins as a B vitamin and is converted to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.  Acteylcholine is responsible for brain speed and memory function.  If you have low levels of acetylcholine, you are more likely to develop conditions like Alzheimer’s.  So if you have a memory like a goldfish suffering from amnesia, try high choline meats like beef, liver, eggs & salmon while pine nuts, hazelnuts & macadamias are the best bet for your nuts. 

2) Be Wary of Too Much Fruit for Breakfast

Even though fruits are a great food and antioxidant source, they also contain fructose.  Fructose is a type of simple sugar that can only be metabolised by the liver.  What this means, is that once your liver glycogen stores are full (which is basically all times of the day except upon awakening), it has nowhere to go and like most sugars, it will make it harder to squeeze into those jeans from last summer.  On the heart health side of things, fructose has also been shown to raise triglyceride levels more than any other sugar and although it does not raise blood sugar a lot, it does still raise insulin through different means.  The other potential evils of too much fructose include the slowing down of our thyroid (which impacts our metabolism) and that it also increases glycation.  Glycation is what happens when you cut an apple in half and it turns brownish yellow – it is basically an aging process caused by a sugar cross linking with a protein inside the body.  In fact, glycation levels inside your body are actually one of the best predictors of lifespan and nutrition experts like Robert Crayhorn suggest to limit the amount of fructose you consume depending on your body fat and physical activity levels.  According to Crayhorn, if you are lean, three servings a day should be the upper limit.  Breakfast would also probably be the best time to consume the majority of fruit (although there is considerable debate over when is the best time for fruit intake).  Again, I am not suggesting that fruit is bad for you (anything but!) and it is much better to eat an apple versus a chocolate éclair; but we need to consider how much we consume based on our current body fat and activity levels.  If you look like you could inhale a dozen Big Macs in world record time, it is probably best to consider limiting your fructose (and carbohydrate) intake.          

3) Cereal Confusion  

Here is another little study that I found very interesting and I am sure you will too.  The study tested the mortality rates of rats eating either organic or conventional breakfast cereals.  Now the first surprise to researchers was that the rats eating the organic (‘healthier’) breakfast cereals hit the bucket before the conventional cereal fed rats.  Then to amuse themselves, the researchers decided to see who would survive longer from the remaining rats fed on either the cardboard box or the non-organic cereal.  You can guess what happened next can’t you?  The rats survived longer on the cardboard box than the non-organic cereal.  Morale of the story, as strength coach Charles Poliquin loves to say, is that the cereal box is more nutritious than the stuff inside.  And for all those that think they need carbohydrates like cereal in the morning for energy? Dr. Phillip Maffetone, who is a coach of a number of world champion endurance athletes including Mark Allen, actually limits the amount of carbohydrates like cereals in his athlete’s diets especially before big events.  If world champions do not need to chow down on a bowl of Special K before big races, it is highly unlikely that we need to do so every morning either.   

4) The Sooner You Eat Something The Better

The sooner you put something in your mouth, the earlier your metabolism can kick into gear and the thermic effect of digesting the food can take place.  The quicker our metabolism rockets along at, the less body fat we will carry.  The amount you eat for breakfast is also important.  For most, you ‘should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper’.  Also, as I have mentioned in previously, it is best not eat meals while occupied driving nor in front of the TV.  If you are in a rush, I would suggest a high quality whey protein concentrate shake with a tablespoon of an organic greens powder that contains spirulina, wheat & barley grass.  A greens powder is a great way to lower morning cortisol levels and decrease acidity in the body.  I would actually recommend the greens powder even if you were not in a rush.  I have a client who is the former owner of a very well known supplement company that swears by the organic greens powder I supply him with.  After the shake, the next time you have a chance to have a meal make sure it is something that would resemble your normal high protein breakfast.

To finish I am going to leave you with some sample breakfast options from my own menu.  You should be able to get the idea from these combinations:  

• Ground Turkey & Walnuts
• Salmon & Cashews.
  
• Kangaroo & Pecans.
  
• Steak & Brazil Nuts
• Shrimp & Almonds

Here are some other things you should consider.  All meat should be grass fed, organic (if possible) and if fried or grilled, cooked in organic (full fat) butter or coconut oil.  Nuts should be organic.  If want to try this but are a bit squeamish about eating meat for breakfast, try one white meat (like fish) & a nut breakfast every five days and gradually increase the amount of these breakfasts per week as you become more and more comfortable. 

If you would like to learn more about the IgG Food Allergy test, the best ‘greens’ powders available and quickest individual fat loss methods for you, CLICK HERE NOW.