When trying to take care of yourself and stay in shape, meals are one of the topics that cause the most confusion, especially when it comes to breakfast, since many people don’t really know what to do or they let themselves be guided by social media advice, causing them to make mistakes almost without realizing it. Although it may not seem so, breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, especially when the goal is to protect muscle mass, have energy throughout the day, and control satiety.
To clarify what the most common mistakes are and how to avoid them, fitness expert José Ruiz revealed in an interview for THE OBJECTIVE which guidelines everyone should follow when having breakfast to improve their nutrition.
The most common breakfast mistakes
When starting the day, it’s very common to reach for quick options but not very nutritious. According to fitness expert José Ruiz, “the most common breakfast mistake is making it very low in protein and very high in sugar or refined flours.” He notes that having only coffee with cookies, a juice, or a toast with jam isn’t ideal if what you want is to protect your muscle, have good energy, and not feel hungry a few hours later. To fix it, he recommends preparing a breakfast that includes protein-rich foods such as eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna, turkey, or protein powder if needed, and pair them easily with a bit of fruit, oats, whole-grain bread, or nuts.
Recommended breakfasts to gain muscle and improve strength
For people who train for strength and seek real progress, what they eat for breakfast plays a very important role in their results. So much so that Ruiz insists that you should not start the day with a poor breakfast that leaves you with bad nutrition from the early hours, as besides making you want to snack between meals it won’t give you energy. “People who want to gain muscle cannot breakfast as if they were surviving on coffee. If you train for strength and want to progress, you need energy, protein, and consistency,” he explains. He also notes that a proper breakfast makes a big difference, especially for women or for older people who are increasingly experiencing less appetite. The key to achieving and maintaining that healthy body so desired largely lies in taking the right protein, and to be able to take it correctly you need to know how to distribute it across the day. That’s why breakfast is so important and should satisfy you, as it is the time when you’ve gone the longest without eating.
Practical examples of complete breakfasts
- Greek yogurt with oats, fruit and nuts.
- Whole-grain toast with scrambled eggs and avocado.
- Omelette with cottage cheese and fruit.
- Protein shake with milk or plant-based milk, banana, oats and peanut butter.
- Whole-grain bread with tuna, tomato and olive oil.
By following these breakfast ideas or taking similar ones that meet the protein levels you need, you can have enough energy for the rest of the day and stop those between-meal snacks that undermine the progress you’re making.
