I gave up oatmeal breakfasts years ago. They weren’t working for me at all. I was gaining weight despite doing all the right things like loading my oats up with coconut oil, nuts and seeds to bring down the glycemic load. It was simply too much carbohydrates for my slower metabolic type. And so I switched to the best fat-fuelled breakfasts that I love.
Carbohydrates continue to be that macronutrient of debate. Some people can thrive on a diet rich in whole grains, lentils, and beans, while others cannot. As you UnDiet enthusiasts already know, there is no one diet for all.
After years on a predominantly vegan-style diet, one that would be described as healthy and balanced, I was gaining weight, hungry all the time, and my sleep was impaired. I developed cavities in my teeth, and my nervous system was slowly being blown to pieces until adrenal fatigue kicked in. I felt hungry all the time, and after a car accident in 2011 when my body and mind just couldn’t recover, I knew some changes needed to be made.
That is when I swung the door open and welcomed in the dreaded macronutrient, the one that we’ve been taught to fear by mainstream media and yogurt makers alike: fat.
I was already eating loads of coconut oil, flax oil, olive oil, nuts, and seeds, but my body needed more. Increasing the fat in my diet changed my health.
I welcomed in ghee (clarified butter) by the bucketful (okay, maybe not bucketful but by the heaping spoonful for sure). I started cooking with it, adding it to my morning elixirs, tossing steamed vegetables in it and smearing it on my almond bread.
Very rapidly the extra weight I had been holding dropped without effort, my body pain from the car accident decreased, my eczema and psoriasis healed and my sleep improved. All of this happened very quickly.
What Fat Does In The Body
- Helps form our cell membranes
- Offers us a rich source of energy
- Protects our nervous system
- Helps us make hormones
- Forms our brains
- Supports effective functioning of the nervous system
- Nourishes our skin from the inside out
- Stabilizes blood sugar levels
- Lubricates our joints
- Tastes delicious!
Choosing Your Fats
The key for me was incorporating more saturated fat, and I chose to find options that were more sustainable to where I lived. Sure, I could have feasted on avocados and coconuts and their oils, but in Canada, we’re far away from the tropical climates that house these culinary delights. So, I turned to grass-fed, traditional saturated animal fats.
When it comes to saturated fats, or any fat for that matter, quality counts. We need to avoid conventionally raised animal-derived foods that have not only been abused, but are full up with drugs and diseases. Check out your local farm or farmer’s market to ensure you are buying products that come from high-quality, sustainably raised, grass-fed animals.
Get To Know The Traditional Saturated Fats
Saturated fats (ghee, grass-fed butter, grass-fed meats, cold-pressed coconut oil, etc.) work to protect the unsaturated fats (the fats found in nuts and seeds) from damage in the body – almost acting as antioxidants to protect the beneficial properties of those fats. In general, the North American population has been encouraged to decrease consumption of healthy saturated fats and medium-chain triglycerides, through predominantly unfounded research and propaganda from various lobbyists (I see you margarine and the Health Check programs). As the saturated fat is lowered in our food, most often denatured polyunstaturated fats and chemicals are increased to provide the flavour and mouthfeel humans love so much from fatty foods.
The quality does count, and when I talk about saturated fats, I am not referring to french fry grease and caged feedlot animals. Quality counts far beyond quantity. A little saturated fat goes a long way. Especially when you’re using them in your best fat-fuelled breakfasts.
Ghee
Best Uses:
- Cooking oil
- Added to warm elixir drinks
- Melted over steamed vegetables
- In place of butter in all recipes
Coconut Oil
Best Uses:
- Delicious in baking
- Melt and drizzle over popcorn
- Stir into warm elixirs
- Cooking oil for soups
- Homemade body care
- Personal lubricant (though not compatible with latex)
Tallow and Lard
Best Uses:
- High-heat cooking
- Stir fry or light pan fry
- Roasting vegetables
My Favourite Fat-fuelled Breakfasts
Fat-rich breakfasts are a staple in my life, a daily affair that keeps me full, satiated, and energy stable until lunch. I eat less grains than ever before, more fat and feel better than ever.
This is my experience. Every body has its own unique needs, and your job, as the wonderman or wonderwoman in charge of your body, is to tune in and pay attention to what is working, what isn’t working and be brave enough to make some changes when the changes are needed. It can be tricky when we’ve subscribed to one way of eating for an extended period of time.
We’ve been told so often that fat in the diet is bad for us and causes serious health problems like obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Newer research is showing that the low-fat diet craze was based on a load of hooey.
In this video, I share everything I love about ghee and the other fat-fuelled foods that get my day rocking.
Description
A fat-rich morning elixir to keep blood sugar stable, your immune system humming and your skin glowing.
- Place all ingredients in your venting blender and blend until smooth.
- Enjoy
- Note: If you don’t have a venting blender, you can blend this with regular water and heat over the stove or blend with a small amount of regular water until mixed, transfer to your mug and add the hot water.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Category: Drinks + Smoothies
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More Fat Fuelled Breakfast Ideas
Layered Chia and Almond Parfait
by Against All Grain
A delicious and easy make-ahead breakfast that incorporates the fueling omega 3s from chia seeds, along with a creamy scoop of almond butter.
Grain-Free Almond Bread
One of my own favourite recipes. We bake up a loaf of almond bread nearly every weekend. We use whole almonds and grind them in the food processor, which makes this far less expensive than already ground almond meal. You can make this vegan by swapping the eggs and using chia paste.
Grain-Free English Muffins
As I am allergic to eggs, it’s always tough to find baking recipes that don’t use eggs as the main binding agent. That these english muffins are grain-free and egg-free makes me extra happy about this recipe.
Veggalicous Quiche
This is one of my favourite recipes from my cookbook. I most often make this without the crust, so it’s more like a tortilla. If you make the vegan version with tofu, it won’t be as fat-rich as if you use eggs, but you can always whip up a cashew mayo to slather on top!
Huevos Rancheros with Avocado Salsa Verde
Savory Mexican-style breakfasts are the best! Load up on avocado or guacamole for all of that fat-fuelled glory, plus you’ll get a load of protein from beans and eggs. For an egg-free version, substitute some scrambled tofu.
Avocado Green Smoothie
The combination of avocado, greens, and coconut milk provides a simple, satiating breakfast. If you wanna be hard core, you can swap half (or all!) of the frozen fruit for a green apple.
Slightly Sweet Grain-Free Granola
by Pure and Simple Nourishment
For those of you who crave cereal in the morning, this grain-free granola will satisfy you because it’s packed with fat from nuts, seeds, coconut oil and coconut butter.
Coconut Cashew Hot Smoothie
Coconut milk, cashews, toasted coconut, maca – it’s like having a warm hug in a glass. Instead of white chocolate, pop in a tablespoon or two of cacao butter (you know, the original white chocolate).
Ghee Image: iStock/marekuliasz
Coconut Oil Image: iStock/sitriel
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Enjoy more than 40 downloadable guides, recipes, and resources.
