The One Change I’ve Made to Breakfast For The Summer
Consistent? Boring?
Let me start by saying I’m pretty, what’s the word…consistent? Boring? Mundane? When it comes to certain habits I follow the rule of “if it works and I enjoy it, keep it.”
This rule is never more present than in my breakfast.
I love my mornings and my breakfast time is something that I look forward to every day when I wake up.
On any given day you’ll see me do the same routine.
2 espresso shots when I wake up
Read
Work
Workout
Breakfast
For the past year my breakfast has consisted of the same simple food
4 egg bites
3-4 dates
This breakfast tastes great and is loaded with protein, fat and carbs for energy and fiber for gut health.
I love the flavors.
I love how easy it is to pull together.
Grab the dates.
Load the egg bites into the air fryer for 9 minutes.
Sprinkle Redmond Real Salt on the egg bites when ready.
Enjoy!
The Recent Change
Recently however I’ve changed up the morning routine a bit.
I’ve spent the last several months in a calorie surplus to gain muscle.
The extra calories are needed not only to gain, but to fuel my workouts.
As I’ve gone deeper into this phase of my goals I’ve found I hit the wall mid-day and need to increase my overall calorie intake.
Enter summer.
There’s something very nostalgic about summer to me.
I love getting the yard looking good, spending time in the sun, going on hikes and playing outdoors with the family.
Summer also reminds me of childhood days with big pancake breakfasts and a large glass of orange juice.
Why The Change
So recently I started buying fresh squeezed orange juice and adding it to my breakfast.
Yes, there’s vitamin C, some fiber from the pulp and some health benefits to drinking the juice, but, honestly I’m doing it for other reasons.
I love the taste.
I buy the juice from a local grocer named “The Store” because they produce the best fresh juice I’ve been able to find.
I love supporting local businesses.
I love how refreshing it is.
There’s something about a cold glass of fresh juice that hits the spot when morning temperatures are already climbing into the 70’s.
I love how it extends my energy longer.
Getting more calories in the morning gives me more energy into the afternoon.
It makes me feel young again.
When I drink the juice there’s a little part of me that feels like a kid again.
Nuance and Important Complexity
One of the things that I hate about my industry is that well-meaning (and some not-so-well-meaning) coaches try to distill food down to a logical formula while also placing some sort of moral value on food.
Good food and bad food are talked about regularly.
Trust me - moral values can be applied to many things that actually have a moral value to them MORE than food.
I’m pretty confident that my glass of juice isn’t getting me to heaven or hell.
Clean eating, keto, carnivore, vegan and the other cults in our industry try to convince you that you are a robot who needs to just eat to get a result.
The challenge is, unless you are a Communication Archetype (the archetype that eats to communicate change to the body) your primary motivators for food aren’t about the benefits.
Culture Archetypes for instance eat foods, eat in groups and have rituals that imbue a sense of community, heritage and culture.
For instance, my tailor Ken loves his Turkish coffee, because it’s what his wife Tanja grew up drinking.
She makes it, they enjoy it together and afterwards they flip the cups over and she “reads” the grinds.
It’s a lovely moment they share that has nothing to do with the “benefits” of the coffee.
That’s where nuance and the “right” complexity need to come in.
Archetype Driven
I’m primarily a Creative Archetype.
I’m driven by the beauty, the flavor, the nuance and the look of the food.
There’s memory to food for me as a Creative Archetype.
Communication (eat to get a result) is my secondary archetype so when I eat I still want to get a result.
I love when I eat my dates and drink my juice that I know I’m packing my body with fiber, potassium and vitamin C.
I love the selenium I get from the eggs.
I love the energy I get from the fats and carbs, and I’m conscious that I hit at least 30 grams of protein so I can get the 3+ grams of the amino acid leucine to kickstart MtOR for muscle building.
It’s extremely satisfying to eat in line with my archetype because if feels authentic to me.
So What Do I Do?
When I’m working with my clients the first thing I have them do, before we talk calories, macros or fiber is to take the Nutrition Archetype quiz.
Knowing their Archetype helps us understand how they are wired socially, psychologically and emotionally to interact with food.
Without this I’m just putting them on another diet.
I don’t want them, or you, to go on another diet.
I want them, and you to EVOLVE.
Invariably, after taking the quiz my clients ask “so what do I do?”
My answer is always the same - start observing.
Now that you know what your Nutrition Archetype is just begin to observe your behaviors.
Over time we’ll work out a nuanced strategy that gets you eating better for your body and your goals.
But for now - observe.
If you know how you interact with food you can make changes seamlessly.
I can add my morning OJ and meet the creative and communication needs and it doesn’t feel like I’m doing something I “shouldn’t.”
As I tell my clients - weight loss was never the problem.
Everyone I’ve worked with has lost at least 20lbs throughout their adult life.
The problem is they haven’t evolved into a person that eats well for their goals, needs and lifestyle.
Start Here
If you’re ready to take the next steps and stop dieting click HERE to take the Nutrition Archetype quiz.
Once you’ve taken the quiz if you want to go deeper I’m offering a complimentary conversation about your results.
Just click the link after you get your results and book your time.
We’ll spend a few minutes together to go over your results and help you understand how you can use your results to make the evolution you’ve been putting off.
