I haven't eaten meat for more than 30 years, haven't eaten dairy for over six years, and stopped eating eggs over a year ago. Embracing a whole-food, plant-based, oil-free diet has made me feel wonderful. My skin is cleaner, I no longer have sinus infections, my bloating improved, I sleep better, I'm energetic, joyful, and healthy, yet I've observed that I still deal with strong, insatiable sugar cravings. Baking is one thing that provides me joy and reduces stress, and I adore tasting the delights I create, but what I hate is that my stomach feels so bad if I eat too much, and yet, it doesn't stop me from wanting to eat it all the time.
I heard that eating greens for breakfast could help minimize sugar cravings. It sounds a little farfetched, I know, but I was eager to try anything. I've done various fun healthy eating experiments, like eating a big salad for dinner or eating an apple every day, and this looked like a pretty healthy, doable thing I could attempt. Keep reading to find out what occurred after I ate one pound of veggies for breakfast every day for a month.
Why I Ate Veggies For Breakfast Every Day For 1 Month
I follow a well-known whole-food, plant-based YouTuber and author named Chef AJ, and have learnt so much about the most-filling nutrient-dense foods, nutritious dishes, and how to meal prep. On numerous of her presentations, and in her book, The Secrets to Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss, she discusses one of her advice, which is to eat a huge bowl of non-starchy veggies for breakfast.
This is also something Dr. John McDougall advocates in his book The Starch Solution. He refers to it as the 50/50 plate, where you eat half your plate non-starchy veggies and half your plate carbohydrate like rice, beans, or potatoes — yes, even at breakfast time!
Chef AJ has a background on food addiction — specifically to refined, processed foods made with sugar and white flour — and suggests that, in her personal experience, starting your day with typical breakfast options that are sweet (like cereal, pancakes, muffins, and even fruit-filled oatmeal) can trigger a person to crave sugar for the rest of the day.
I related to this so much! I felt I was doing a good thing by eating a couple of bananas with peanut butter, overnight oats with berries, or a huge fruity green smoothie for my first meal of the day. But within an hour or two, I started desiring something else sweet.
I'd eat some fresh fruit, but it never truly satisfied that sweet hunger and I couldn't understand why — I just wanted to keep eating. It made me feel a little out of control since deep down I really didn't want something particularly sweet since too much sugar (even fruit!) hurts my stomach, but nonetheless, I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I assumed I'd give this a go for a week. As a plant-based eater, I do love my veggies, and was astonished that I actually maintained going for an entire month.
Read Also: Veggie Delight: Vegetables In A Breakfast Meal
What Veggies Did I Eat For Breakfast?
I eat my first meal of the day when I'm hungry, which is anywhere from 9:45 a.m. to noon. For the first few days of the veggies-for-breakfast month, I would incorporate veggies into my oatmeal, like shredded carrots or riced cauliflower. It was great, but it changed the texture of my oatmeal too much, and I actually loved my creamy oats as they were!
I quickly moved to eating a separate small dish of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots (or a mix of all three), and then I'd eat my oatmeal. I started with roughly half a pound of veggies (half a small bag), and by the end of that first week, I was eating one pound of veggies. By the second week, I was actually looking forward to my warm bowl!
How Did I Ensure I Ate Veggies For Breakfast Every Day?
To make eating veggies for breakfast easy, I put bags in the freezer. The steamable ones were incredibly convenient, although a little pricer. So by the third week, I started buying enormous bags and splitting them into glass containers so they could thaw in the fridge. Some days I'd have raw baby carrots, but since it's so cold here in Vermont, 90 percent of the time I opted with the steamed veggies. They tasted fantastic with a tiny drop of this maple balsamic vinegar I recently discovered!
For the first two weeks, I'd eat a bowl of oatmeal with my veggies, but for the second and fourth weeks, I alternated the oats with roasted sweet potatoes. I'd bake a massive batch on Sunday, so they'd be ready for the week.
What Are the Benefits of Eating Veggies For Breakfast?
Like I've said before, I enjoy eating veggies, and eating them for breakfast for one month just made me love them even more. It reaffirmed what I already knew – eating veggies makes me feel amazing! I felt more energy, and experienced what Chef AJ claimed I would – less sugar cravings! I was astonished, and extremely appreciative. I no longer wanted to eat something sweet all day long. I still had sugar cravings here and there, but they were substantially lessened.
Filling up on veggies first thing made me feel fuller and more satisfied, and I observed that I was less hungry during the day. It also inspired me to make more healthier choices when it came to eating, but also motivated me to want to walk a little more, and take more time for self-care. My digestion was excellent, I slept well, and felt energetic for my morning 10,000-meter rowing. It also helped me drop the few pounds I accumulated during the past few months while quarantine.
I honestly assumed I wouldn't love eating veggies for breakfast, and that I'd only last one week. But I'm liking it so much and am so enthusiastic about my new feel-good habit, that I'm even taking selfies with my veggies (wow, I've hit a new level of plant-based living!). I'm absolutely going to continue this practice.
The one drawback about this new habit, and the one thing I feel awful about, is the numerous plastic bags that are being wasted. The ease of the freezer bags was crucial to help me stick with this the first few weeks, but now that I'm like it enough to keep going, and I'm genuinely craving veggies for breakfast, I need to stop buying the frozen bags. I have these reusable produce bags, so I'm intending to buy large amounts of veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and bell peppers to eat for breakfast (on top of all the other veggies I already buy for the rest of my meals). It'll take some extra meal-prep time, but the bonus is that it'll push me to eat more of a variety of in-season veggies in the morning.
Kari Pettersen
I haven't eaten meat for more than 30 years, haven't eaten dairy for over six years, and stopped eating eggs over a year ago. Embracing a whole-food, plant-based, oil-free diet has made me feel wonderful. My skin is cleaner, I no longer have sinus infections, my bloating improved, I sleep better, I'm energetic, joyful, and healthy, yet I've observed that I still deal with strong, insatiable sugar cravings. Baking is one thing that provides me joy and reduces stress, and I adore tasting the delights I create, but what I hate is that my stomach feels so bad if I eat too much, and yet, it doesn't stop me from wanting to eat it all the time.
I heard that eating greens for breakfast could help minimize sugar cravings. It sounds a little farfetched, I know, but I was eager to try anything. I've done various fun healthy eating experiments, like eating a big salad for dinner or eating an apple every day, and this looked like a pretty healthy, doable thing I could attempt. Keep reading to find out what occurred after I ate one pound of veggies for breakfast every day for a month.
Why I Ate Veggies For Breakfast Every Day For 1 Month
I follow a well-known whole-food, plant-based YouTuber and author named Chef AJ, and have learnt so much about the most-filling nutrient-dense foods, nutritious dishes, and how to meal prep. On numerous of her presentations, and in her book, The Secrets to Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss, she discusses one of her advice, which is to eat a huge bowl of non-starchy veggies for breakfast.
This is also something Dr. John McDougall advocates in his book The Starch Solution. He refers to it as the 50/50 plate, where you eat half your plate non-starchy veggies and half your plate carbohydrate like rice, beans, or potatoes — yes, even at breakfast time!
Chef AJ has a background on food addiction — specifically to refined, processed foods made with sugar and white flour — and suggests that, in her personal experience, starting your day with typical breakfast options that are sweet (like cereal, pancakes, muffins, and even fruit-filled oatmeal) can trigger a person to crave sugar for the rest of the day.
I related to this so much! I felt I was doing a good thing by eating a couple of bananas with peanut butter, overnight oats with berries, or a huge fruity green smoothie for my first meal of the day. But within an hour or two, I started desiring something else sweet.
I'd eat some fresh fruit, but it never truly satisfied that sweet hunger and I couldn't understand why — I just wanted to keep eating. It made me feel a little out of control since deep down I really didn't want something particularly sweet since too much sugar (even fruit!) hurts my stomach, but nonetheless, I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I assumed I'd give this a go for a week. As a plant-based eater, I do love my veggies, and was astonished that I actually maintained going for an entire month.
Read Also: Veggie Delight: Vegetables In A Breakfast Meal
What Veggies Did I Eat For Breakfast?
I eat my first meal of the day when I'm hungry, which is anywhere from 9:45 a.m. to noon. For the first few days of the veggies-for-breakfast month, I would incorporate veggies into my oatmeal, like shredded carrots or riced cauliflower. It was great, but it changed the texture of my oatmeal too much, and I actually loved my creamy oats as they were!
I quickly moved to eating a separate small dish of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots (or a mix of all three), and then I'd eat my oatmeal. I started with roughly half a pound of veggies (half a small bag), and by the end of that first week, I was eating one pound of veggies. By the second week, I was actually looking forward to my warm bowl!
How Did I Ensure I Ate Veggies For Breakfast Every Day?
To make eating veggies for breakfast easy, I put bags in the freezer. The steamable ones were incredibly convenient, although a little pricer. So by the third week, I started buying enormous bags and splitting them into glass containers so they could thaw in the fridge. Some days I'd have raw baby carrots, but since it's so cold here in Vermont, 90 percent of the time I opted with the steamed veggies. They tasted fantastic with a tiny drop of this maple balsamic vinegar I recently discovered!
For the first two weeks, I'd eat a bowl of oatmeal with my veggies, but for the second and fourth weeks, I alternated the oats with roasted sweet potatoes. I'd bake a massive batch on Sunday, so they'd be ready for the week.
What Are the Benefits of Eating Veggies For Breakfast?
Like I've said before, I enjoy eating veggies, and eating them for breakfast for one month just made me love them even more. It reaffirmed what I already knew – eating veggies makes me feel amazing! I felt more energy, and experienced what Chef AJ claimed I would – less sugar cravings! I was astonished, and extremely appreciative. I no longer wanted to eat something sweet all day long. I still had sugar cravings here and there, but they were substantially lessened.
Filling up on veggies first thing made me feel fuller and more satisfied, and I observed that I was less hungry during the day. It also inspired me to make more healthier choices when it came to eating, but also motivated me to want to walk a little more, and take more time for self-care. My digestion was excellent, I slept well, and felt energetic for my morning 10,000-meter rowing. It also helped me drop the few pounds I accumulated during the past few months while quarantine.
I honestly assumed I wouldn't love eating veggies for breakfast, and that I'd only last one week. But I'm liking it so much and am so enthusiastic about my new feel-good habit, that I'm even taking selfies with my veggies (wow, I've hit a new level of plant-based living!). I'm absolutely going to continue this practice.
The one drawback about this new habit, and the one thing I feel awful about, is the numerous plastic bags that are being wasted. The ease of the freezer bags was crucial to help me stick with this the first few weeks, but now that I'm like it enough to keep going, and I'm genuinely craving veggies for breakfast, I need to stop buying the frozen bags. I have these reusable produce bags, so I'm intending to buy large amounts of veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and bell peppers to eat for breakfast (on top of all the other veggies I already buy for the rest of my meals). It'll take some extra meal-prep time, but the bonus is that it'll push me to eat more of a variety of in-season veggies in the morning.