Best breakfast for a long day

[spotly]

I've tried quite a few different foods but feeling like it's a dart-shoot. Hopping out of the bag and shoveling down some oatmeal and a tea seems "ok" but the first hour or so feels sluggish. I've also done the big carb load the night before and just had tea in the morning - seems to work sometimes.

 

Anyone have a favorite breakfast routine that privides them with some longer-term energy without slowing them down early on?

[Sol]

I've been using a zone style breakfast for the past few months with great results. It's not an alpine breakfast but it provides great results for car to car days:

 

2 cups non-fat cottage cheese

1.5 cups chopped fruit (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, apples, etc.)

7-10 whole almonds

 

I've been roughly following the zone since January, besides losing 15 lbs, i've really learned alot about mixing carbs, protein, and good fat. I think the big thing that many climbers miss in their diets is enough good lean protein.

[Pete_H]

Chicken fried steak and a budweiser.

[G-spotter]

Kozy Crack rice puddin'

[Stopgo]

oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder and dried fruit

[genepires]

every early morning breakfast sucks. I used to do buttered fried bagels with ton of cheese. But I still got real hungry afterwards so the pocket full of cheap granola bars seemed more important than a good breakfast.

 

I wish I could eat that choke-meal stuff. Too much too often.

[i_like_sun]

I've tried quite a few different foods but feeling like it's a dart-shoot. Hopping out of the bag and shoveling down some oatmeal and a tea seems "ok" but the first hour or so feels sluggish. I've also done the big carb load the night before and just had tea in the morning - seems to work sometimes.

 

Anyone have a favorite breakfast routine that privides them with some longer-term energy without slowing them down early on?

 

First thing: why are you posting this? Are you experiencing declines in performance? Dragging ass when you head out?

 

The most recent sports nutrition research shows that carb loading is a waste of time. All you can do is top off your glycogen carrying capacity by a small degree - all of the excess carbohydrate goes to conversion to triglycerides (body fat).

 

The "best" breakfast is one that starts the instant you wake up, and then ends an hour before dinner. Seriously, you can't expect 1 meal in the morning to provide all the nutrition for the rest of the day - topping off every hour during the day seems to be what all of the elite endurance athletes do, and the research shows that it works. Carbs should make up as much as 60% of an endurance athlete's diet, with fats and proteins making up the remaining 20 + 20%. Doing so should help to optimize the hormonal response to training/climbing.

 

It shouldn't matter so much "what" you eat, but how you time it around exercise.

[CollinWoods]

Make sure you eat both carbs and protein.

[Stopgo]

oh yeah, I forgot the secret weapon . . . Starbucks Via, the new instant coffee. Good stuff that'll take the sluggish-ness out of you real quick!

[shaoleung]

Complex carbs with some protein. Oatmeal's great, but try something like Bob's Redmill Scottish Oatmeal. Carb loading with pasta has apparently been scientifically proven worthless. Check out Bicycling Magazine's May 2009 article: Big Fat Lies

[jclements]

I've been going low-carb recently, and I've been feeling pretty damn good. I just booked up Ruckel Ridge with a breakfast of chorizo and eggs to start. Throughout an eight-hour day, 12 miles, up and down 4000 feet in 90 degree weather, I was eating coconut oil, ham, jerky, nuts, and about 3 shots of Hammer Gel, with electrolyte water (no sugars). Was this perfect? No. In hindsight I could have probably used a little more carbs during and post, which slowed my recovery. I think too many nuts, which I have a hard time controlling myself from eating just a little, have more fiber than I need to be digesting during a long hard day. It was a rushed camping trip, a last-minute idea with the family, and I didn't pack a single nalgene, so I would rather have carried a protein mix to take in liquid form rather than eat as much solid food as I did. But I still did pretty good for myself, no bonking, no nausea, no dragging other than the expected fatigue(haven't been out that long in awhile). But I think a good dose of protein AND FAT is essential to a good breakfast which doesn't have to be big; I agree with the point that it's just the first fueling.

 

One research study found that low-carb athletes do just fine when operating at or below 60% VO2 max in endurance events, if you're above that, higher-carb athletes perform better, but that's not to say low-carb athletes can't still perform. It does lend more importance to fat and protein in the athletic diet whatever your level.

 

I'm not recommending a total low-carb diet, only that one explore the arguments. It used to be the wisdom that carbo-loading is good. Now, it's not, but the conv wisdom says carbs should be the base of your pyramid in any case. Now, Hammer and other endurance specialists are recognizing the importance of protein and fats in endurance events. The Bicycling Magazine article's title has to be a shameless riff on Gary Taubes' 2002 NYT Mag article "What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?" which questions the notion that dietary fat has anything to do at all with heart disease and obesity (I think his book Good Calories, Bad Calories argues well enough that it doesn't, as well as dispensing with a number of our dietary myths, including scooping BM on the calorie equality fallacy). The BM article for example still holds to the myth that lean meat is better for you than fatty. The challenge to the carbo-loading ideas has been around in the low-carb athletic community for awhile now.

 

There's no point in complex carbs for an athletic event (hey, I dig Scottish oatmeal, too, but it's not necessary). It all has to break down into glucose. I recognize the advice as being opposed to something sugary, which is what some people can work well (enough) with, (once climbed with a guy who had to have his Cap'n Crunch as he decried my sausage), but they contain fructose as well, and that's a whole nother topic. The maltodextrin in a gel is all you need as far as carbs go, because you need it right now, not in an hour or so while your glycogen stores (1-2 hours worth) are being depleted and you're wasting blood flow to digest fiber.

 

[toproper]

everything bagel (or dave's killer bread) with avocado and sea salt. cup of coffee on the side

 

oatmeal = bloatmeal (imho)

[summitchaserCJB]

The best breakfast is something that is well balanced (obviously) and that you can keep down and that fills you up and gives you lots of energy. Oatmeal is a great breakfast-especially if you add fruit. Bagels and cream cheese is great too. There are tons of options.

[ryanb]

I'm a type I diabetic (meaning I take insulin and check my blood sugars more then ten times a day) and have found that getting breakfast right is the most important thing I can do to keep my blood sugars regulated throughout the day.

 

Of course, because I take insulin my body works differently then any of yours but here are the rules I follow:

 

1) Absolutely NO sugar or simple carbohydrates at breakfast. No fruit, no white bread, no granola, no sugar in your coffee, no juice, no granola, no high sugar instant oatmeal, no cereal. Any of these things will mediately spike my blood sugar then wear off too quick and leave me out of rhythm for the rest of the morning. My doctor literally told me to stop eating granola.

 

2) Always eat a fair amount of protean at breakfast.

 

3) Check my blood sugar and possibly eat a small to medium amount of sugar/simple carbohydrates as a snack around the time or just after I start to work hard (example: eating an orange while walking down the tracks to get to the upper wall trail).

 

4) Many small, easy to digest snacks through out the day if hiking or climbing lots of easy stuff (trail mix in pocket + camel back can keep me hiking through most anything) less needed for climbing harder stuff.

 

Breakfast is usally toast with peanut butter at home, organic instant oatmeal (doesn't matter that it is organic but the organic stuff seems to have lower glyclemic index then the normal stuff) with peanut butter in it if camping, or a hippie style breakfast sandwich from pcc (whole wheat english muffin...) if heading out of town via car. And coffee with milk but no sugar.

 

Morning/start of activity snack is usually fruit/trail mix/bars/cookies/a pastry/juice/cliff shot depending on how healthy i feel like being that day etc.

 

 

[dbb]

For big days I like a big breakfast that includes several eggs and some carbs (pancakes, bagel, etc). Toss in some sausage on that, and you're good to go for maybe 8 hours with just minor bars/gu snacking. I use this breakfast a lot for cold winter ice climbing. Obviously not very easy if you're brewing up on an alpine climb. I think ryan is right: peatnut butter. Calorie dense and high in protein. It even comes in little packets now. Then go for ~5 bars and 5 GUs for the rest of the day.

[Couloir]

I don't want to start a new thread with this question, but I have heard--and have since tried--drinking a glass of chocolate (skim) milk after a good workout as a recovery drink. Anyone else?

[summitchaserCJB]

oh ya. That definitely works well. Doesn't need to be skim IMO.

[MJaso]

Now I've never tried this, or plan on it. But, how about the Hardee’s Country Breakfast Burrito packin two egg omelets filled with bacon, sausage, diced ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy, all wrapped inside a flour tortilla. The burrito contains 920 calories and 60 grams of fat. This should last for a while if you don't spew all over, or have a heart attack.

 

 

[rob]

A strong mix (double strength or more) of perpetuem works great for me, for breakfast. It's actually a lot of calories, but it's easy on my stomach, and my stomach FUCKING HATES eating food in the morning.

 

I also bring along some french toast that I'll eat an hour or two later (cold, with no syrup.)

[bstach]

The best breakfast is the one having the most fun!

 

Jesus I can't belive you all missed this one.

[Bronco]

Now I've never tried this, or plan on it. But, how about the Hardee’s Country Breakfast Burrito packin two egg omelets filled with bacon, sausage, diced ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy, all wrapped inside a flour tortilla. The burrito contains 920 calories and 60 grams of fat. This should last for a while if you don't spew all over, or have a heart attack.

 

 

I just wish there was a Hardee's closer than Helena, MT....

[tomtom]

A couple of these should get you going.

 

[chubler]

Paleo all the way - veggies, nuts, lean meats and lots of good fat. Fat is the key. Get your body to realize that is what it needs to burn and then it becomes the consistant efficiency food. I've even read of guys running low on energy and taking shots of olive oil to help pull them through a long day. I find I do best when my "good" fat reserves are in line.

 

I've tried quite a few different foods but feeling like it's a dart-shoot. Hopping out of the bag and shoveling down some oatmeal and a tea seems "ok" but the first hour or so feels sluggish. I've also done the big carb load the night before and just had tea in the morning - seems to work sometimes.

 

Anyone have a favorite breakfast routine that privides them with some longer-term energy without slowing them down early on?

 

First thing: why are you posting this? Are you experiencing declines in performance? Dragging ass when you head out?

 

The most recent sports nutrition research shows that carb loading is a waste of time. All you can do is top off your glycogen carrying capacity by a small degree - all of the excess carbohydrate goes to conversion to triglycerides (body fat).

 

The "best" breakfast is one that starts the instant you wake up, and then ends an hour before dinner. Seriously, you can't expect 1 meal in the morning to provide all the nutrition for the rest of the day - topping off every hour during the day seems to be what all of the elite endurance athletes do, and the research shows that it works. Carbs should make up as much as 60% of an endurance athlete's diet, with fats and proteins making up the remaining 20 + 20%. Doing so should help to optimize the hormonal response to training/climbing.

 

It shouldn't matter so much "what" you eat, but how you time it around exercise.

 

This is key - eat and hydrate all day.

[tam]

I don't want to start a new thread with this question, but I have heard--and have since tried--drinking a glass of chocolate (skim) milk after a good workout as a recovery drink. Anyone else?

 

been doing that, works well for me.

[G-spotter]

The science behind the paleo diet is bunk. "Everybody should eat what the cavemen ate cause we haven't evolved since then!"

 

Ya... no. The areas of the human genome undergoing the most rapid evolution are related to diet. You can look that up in science journals.