What do you eat for breakfast?

[qa4ever]

Hi,

My husband is on a special diet for health reasons and has to have no/very low amounts of sugar.

We're looking for new breakfast ideas for him.

- He cannot have (obviously) pancakes, french toast, or sugary treats (donuts, danish, etc).
- He cannot have cereal (not even "healthy" ones) since they are pure carbs and turn into sugar. Same with oatmeal
- He cannot have bacon or sausages because they have MSG in them (also not permitted this).
- He cannot have any "bread" items like toast, bagel, or croissant. Carbs that turn into sugar.
- Fruit is out because of sugar. He is allowed a few strawberries a day but that is usually his only snack of the day.

He has literally been having 2 eggs, every day for breakfast, for months, and is getting sick of them. They are also high in cholesterol so not the best thing to eat every day.

Any other ideas? What do you eat for breakfast?

 

[Missypyxi]

If you have a Trader Joe's near you, check them out for msg-free breakfast meats.

As for other ideas, DS loves turkey roll-ups, even for breakfast. Take a string cheese, cut it in fourths lengthwise, take a slice of turkey lunch meat and roll up the cheese stick in it. He'll have 3-4 of these at breakfast.

Honestly, anything is game for breakfast at our house. I have never understood the mentality that you have to have sugary pastries, cereals, yogurts, etc or fatty meats for breakfast instead of a healthy sautée of vegetables or a regular lunch-type sandwich.

I'm on a Mediterranean diet and eat a lot of eggs, too. Spice them up with salsa or hot sauce, mix some chopped onion and avocado in with them...they can be very versatile.

 

[Southernmiss]

Hi,

My husband is on a special diet for health reasons and has to have no/very low amounts of sugar.

We're looking for new breakfast ideas for him.

- He cannot have (obviously) pancakes, french toast, or sugary treats (donuts, danish, etc).
- He cannot have cereal (not even "healthy" ones) since they are pure carbs and turn into sugar. Same with oatmeal
- He cannot have bacon or sausages because they have MSG in them (also not permitted this).
- He cannot have any "bread" items like toast, bagel, or croissant. Carbs that turn into sugar.
- Fruit is out because of sugar. He is allowed a few strawberries a day but that is usually his only snack of the day.

He has literally been having 2 eggs, every day for breakfast, for months, and is getting sick of them. They are also high in cholesterol so not the best thing to eat every day.

Any other ideas? What do you eat for breakfast?

Who says that foods eaten at other times of the day can't be breakfast foods? Yesterday I had a green spinach salad for breakfast with spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, sunflower seeds, turkey, etc on it. Was delicious and kept me full for a while.

Today, it was cottage cheese with a 1/4 cup of blueberries.

I posted a few weeks ago about having a half of a sweet potato, avocado and a protein for breakfast. Sometimes the protein has been salmon, tilapia, etc.

The traditional "American" breakfast is in of itself not very healthy for many with dietary restrictions.

Research recipes on the internet based on your husband's restrictions and needs.

Don't focus on what he "can't have", but on what he can have. Probably lots of vegetables, seeds and nuts and other proteins such as beans in moderation are okay on his diet. He and you just need to adapt to a new way of thinking, shopping and preparing food-not easy. I am right there with you and DH has not fully come aboard, though he knows he should.

Having foods already prepared and in the refrigerator makes it easy to take out and heat up in the morning.

Half the battle of eating right is pre planning and preparation.

 

[tcufrog]

You can make in advance and freeze egg white crustless quiches. You make them in muffin tins and can include just about any meat, seasoning, cheese and/veggies you wish just as long as they aren't watery. There are tons of recipes online so you can vary the mixture so he doesn't get bored.

 

[lorimay]

I love avocado toast. You can use the Ezekiel bread, low carb high protein, its in the freezer section of grocery store.

 

[Wendy31]

I have a protein breakfast shake every morning.

 

[rastahomie]

Two Pop-Tarts and a Diet Coke.

 

[Magpie]

Hi,

My husband is on a special diet for health reasons and has to have no/very low amounts of sugar.

We're looking for new breakfast ideas for him.

- He cannot have (obviously) pancakes, french toast, or sugary treats (donuts, danish, etc).
- He cannot have cereal (not even "healthy" ones) since they are pure carbs and turn into sugar. Same with oatmeal
- He cannot have bacon or sausages because they have MSG in them (also not permitted this).
- He cannot have any "bread" items like toast, bagel, or croissant. Carbs that turn into sugar.
- Fruit is out because of sugar. He is allowed a few strawberries a day but that is usually his only snack of the day.

He has literally been having 2 eggs, every day for breakfast, for months, and is getting sick of them. They are also high in cholesterol so not the best thing to eat every day.

Any other ideas? What do you eat for breakfast?

Have you tried preparing the eggs differently?

It sounds like your husband is on Phase 1 of the South Beach diet, which is extremely low carb. It's not something you're supposed to stay on long term, but medical reasons outweigh other considerations obviously.

When my husband is cutting back on his carbs, we mix things up by varying the way we prepare the eggs (frittata, omelet, quiche) and the meat (ham, smoked salmon, Canadian bacon) and the veg (mushrooms, red peppers, asparagus, onions, tomato salsa, spinach, artichoke hearts, etc).

I just checked my some of my cookbooks and I did find two simple Phase 1 breakfasts that don't include eggs:

Option 1:

6 oz vegetable juice cocktail
1 cup fat-free (0%) Greek yogurt and 15 pistachios
Coffee or tea with 1% or fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Option 2:

6 oz tomato juice
Energy shake (in a blender, combine 1 cup artificially sweetened vanilla low-fat soy milk, 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt, 1/4 cup silken tofu, and 6 almonds; blend until smooth)
3 slices Canadian bacon
Coffee or tea with 1% or fat-free milk and sugar substitute

I've had the Energy Shake, it's surprisingly good (especially if you like the flavour of almonds and vanilla).

 

[Hikergirl]

When I was good about low carb eating my breakfasts would be

-eggs- all different ways to mix things up
-protein shakes (made with unsweetened almond milk)
-coconut flour pancakes
-low carb wrap with natural peanut butter (no sugar) and half of a banana
-greek yogurt and added berries
-coconut milk pudding (no sugar added coconut milk and chia seeds, sit in fridge over night) with sliced bananas and almonds or crushed cashews
- packaged low card oatmeal, occasionally

 

[monsterkitty]

First breakfast I have either an egg sandwich with turkey sausage (msg free), scrambled eggs with turkey sausage and mushrooms, or peanut butter on a bagel.
Second breakfast I have a Larabar or a CliffBar or mixed nuts.

I will often eat leftovers for breakfast: chicken, turkey, or whatever protein we had for dinner.

 

[nene0182]

M-F I eat 8oz of plain Greek yogurt with flax and chia seeds. Saturday and Sunday I typically don't eat anything.

 

[JimmyBean42]

I eat eggs whites generally every morning (no yolks would help with your husbands cholesterol) for the protein but I switch up what I put in them. Peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, sriracha, or salsa are the most regular things I add in. I switch it up for variety. Then also a serving of either turkey bacon or Canadian bacon (high protein, low sodium). Other option I do sometimes are either protein shakes or greek yogurt with granola (which is good since your husband can't have a high serving of fruit). Also I know you mentioned no bread items that turn to sugar, but wheat wraps (for an egg wrap) I don't turn into too much sugar. I'd check that though.

 

[mmouse37]

Hi,

My husband is on a special diet for health reasons and has to have no/very low amounts of sugar.

We're looking for new breakfast ideas for him.

- He cannot have (obviously) pancakes, french toast, or sugary treats (donuts, danish, etc).
- He cannot have cereal (not even "healthy" ones) since they are pure carbs and turn into sugar. Same with oatmeal
- He cannot have bacon or sausages because they have MSG in them (also not permitted this).
- He cannot have any "bread" items like toast, bagel, or croissant. Carbs that turn into sugar.
- Fruit is out because of sugar. He is allowed a few strawberries a day but that is usually his only snack of the day.

He has literally been having 2 eggs, every day for breakfast, for months, and is getting sick of them. They are also high in cholesterol so not the best thing to eat every day.

Any other ideas? What do you eat for breakfast?

It sounds like he is on a similar eating plan as me. I used to eat all those things listed but in February I decided I really had to do something so went to a weight loss MD. My plan is not South Beach but just her own plan.

I have also been eating an egg almost every day for breakfast but I am only allowed one egg yolk a day. I can add egg whites to the one egg but can't have 2 whole eggs in one day. I make them fried, scrambled, omelette, hard boiled, etc. I add liquid egg whites for more volume for scrambled or an omelette.

My other choice for breakfast is non fat Greek yogurt. I try to find one that has the least amount of added sugar. I will add to that some cinnamon, a Truvia packet, a teaspoon of flax seed and either a tablespoon of sliced almonds/walnuts OR some blueberries or sliced strawberries. I find it very satisfying.

I have to say since I have given up mostly all carbs, sugar and processed foods I am feeling so much better. I am down 40 lbs. since Feb 15th.

I feel your husband's frustration but it is something we have to stick with. Sometimes I even have a different protein for breakfast like some grilled chicken. This morning I had a fried egg (Pam spray) with low fat Jarlsberg Swiss and a side of grilled asparagus from yesterday's meal.

Good luck to him!!!!

MJ

 

[soccerdad72]

I have also been eating an egg almost every day for breakfast but I am only allowed one egg yolk a day. I can add egg whites to the one egg but can't have 2 whole eggs in one day. I make them fried, scrambled, omelette, hard boiled, etc. I add liquid egg whites for more volume for scrambled or an omelette.

I was going to suggest something similar - if eggs are the main thing he eats for breakfast, use one whole egg and add egg whites or egg substitutes in to keep the cholesterol down but make it a little more substantial. And, like others have suggested, mix it up with what goes into the eggs each day for variety.

 

[MIGrandma]

Breakfast is a hard meal for me as I really don't care to have traditional breakfast foods (eggs, toast, potatoes, etc.) very often. I am Type 2 diabetic but it's very well under control so I do eat quite a bit of fresh fruit. I LOVE fresh fruit, almost any kind. So I do have fruit quite often for breakfast, usually a variety of berries (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries making 1 cup), or apples, bananas quite often too. I almost always have a Babybel mini-cheese round at breakfast, and some protein. This morning it was about 4 ounces of skinless smoked sausage, sometimes it's a few slices of thin deli-turkey, or a couple links of turkey sausage. I love hard boiled eggs too, minus the yolk (those I give to the cats). If I have an omelet I add a bit of diced ham, shredded cheese, along with chopped onion and peppers (I love vegetables as much as I love fruit), mushrooms, and a few spinach leaves.

 

[Micca]

I wouldn't give up on the eggs--they're versatile and there's so much you can do to enhance them. I'd ask the doc about cholesterol concerns, I have a hunch that eggs have been victimized by a bad rap. The thing with the eggs is there's so much protein it can help keep you full throughout the day. A half avocado along with it and he'll def feel less hungry all day.

 

[tasha99]

I did Whole 30 a couple of months last year, and ate eggs and bacon most days. There is bacon that has no msg and no sugar in it, but you have to go to either an upscale (Whole foods/ Fairway etc) or Health food (Natural Foods etc) type grocer to get it. On non-bacon days, I'd make a veggie omelette or frittata of some sort.

 

[qa4ever]

Hi again, OP here.

Yeah he is definitely not on the diet for weight loss, but he has lost almost 20 lbs. And he was only 175 to start at 5 foot 10.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, he may try some of them that are permitted. Any other ideas, please keep em coming. He tried protein shakes for awhile, but he doesn't like drinks other than water so had trouble drinking them!

Any other ideas?

 

[leebee]

I know he's not fond of drinks, but try Syntrex Nectar. I order them from lucky vitamin.com. They are whey protein isolate and can be mixed with water or milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk). The iced tea, lemonade, and grapefruit ones are surprisingly refreshing (these are made with water) and full of protein. Just get a good shaker bottle to make them in (mine came from Walmart; it has a coiled ball in it so things mix up really easily).

We also eat a lot of Dannon lite and fit Greek yogurt (but I'm not sure he can have the carbs). There are some low carb yogurts that are pretty good, but they are hard to find sometimes. Also, what about cottage cheese? Not sure what carb level he is trying to stay under, but you can add all kinds of things to cottage cheese as well as use it as a filling for omelets. (cream cheese, too)

What about soup? It's easy to make homemade chicken soup, and a big pot will last awhile. If you make it, you can control what's in it.

Check your delis for cold cuts without msg... also sausage, ham, bacon. Would he do chicken, egg, or tuna salad? I sometimes roll tuna salad in sliced cheese.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

My breakfasts are either a protein shake (~5-8g carbs) or cottage cheese (~5g carbs).

If he's getting bored with eggs, add proteins, vegetables, or spices to it... bacon, sausage, ham, spinach, green chiles, jalapeños, onions, curry powder, cracked pepper, paprika, etc. there is literally no end to what you can do with eggs. Soft, hard boiled, over easy, poached, you name it.

Also, there are recipes out there for low carb pancakes (using a very small amount of flour, eggs, and cottage cheese) which are actually quite delicious.

The Oikos Triple Zero yogurts are high protein and low carb, and more importantly, delicious.

EDIT: it doesn't matter if he "doesn't like drinks other than water," he's an adult and being an adult means doing things you may not want to do, simply because you Need to do them. Tell him to suck it up!