What can breakfast with all 3 macronutrients look like?
This month my personal nutrition focus is on having a breakfast that contains all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and protein.
In my 8th July blog Have you eaten in the last 3 hours? I talked about two frameworks in the eating disorder space that focus on regular eating as a priority, and then adequacy as the next priority.
These models are the RAVES (Regular Eating, Adequate Eating, Variety, Eating socially, Spontaneous Eating) model and the Rule of 3’s (Eating every 3 hours, eating 3 meals a day consisting of all 3 macronutrients).
I’ve done really well with eating every 3 hours (I set alarms on my watch). I think this is largely due to a lot of accommodations I have made for myself:
my ADHD medication has helped with executive function (being organised and making decisions) and increased capacity to deal with the sensory experiences of life and eating
utilising Woolworths click and collect, adding to my cart on my laptop or phone as soon as I think of something I’m craving or a preferred food I’ve run out of
spending money on food when out (e.g. Red Rooster chips after a challenging trip to JB HI-FI to buy a modem for our new house)
keeping quick options on hand e.g. bars, yoghurts, milk, juice, chocolate, jelly beans
Now I want to make sure I’m eating enough most days (ideally every day but I will take what I can get). Hence my new goal to have all 3 macronutrients at breakfast. Most foods provide more than 1 macronutrient (e.g. milk has fat and protein and some carbohydrates) but as I am trying to increase my intake overall I’m going to challenge myself (in a fun, ADHD-driven, not a diet culture way) to have at least 3 foods per meal.
I also thought to ride the wave of novelty I would challenge myself to create 7 different options. There are definitely pros and cons to setting this challenge 4 days from moving house. Cons - I probably don’t need any challenges right now. Pros - I do need to eat extra because it is a big week in my personal life.
If I had to make 7 breakfasts right now that I thought I would actually eat I would go:
Soft boiled eggs (protein) with buttered (fat) toast soldiers (carbohydrate)
Baked beans (protein) with buttered (fat) toast (carbohydrate)
Porridge (oats - carbohydrate; milk - fat) with an egg (protein) stirred through
Eggs (protein) with avocado (fat) on toast (carbohydrate)
Bacon (fat) and egg (protein) on brioche bun (carbohydrate) - this is our fave camping breakfast
Protein smoothie (protein powder - protein; milk - fat) and an apple (carbohydrate)
Toasted cheese (protein) sandwich (carbohydrate) with butter (fat)
Now I’m not saying any of these meals have adequate serves of each macronutrient or even calories - but they are certainly a great start.
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