I had steak for breakfast. And it made me wonder why I hadn’t had it before. I usually eat my first meal about 10 or 11, so it’s not like it was 6am and I was gnawing on a t-bone in my pajamas, but by 11 it seemed appropriate. I’d had it the night before for dinner – made it at home, grass fed, marinated in a ginger, soy, garlic bath and so stunningly delicious, that I went to sleep eager to wake up, knowing what was waiting for me.
I’m a big believer that when you start to feed your body well, your body starts to know what it wants and when. I don’t believe in having rules around what foods should be eaten at what time of the day. I’m not a fan of cereal for breakfast or toast or bagels, as they just don’t fill me up, dinner for breakfast, on the other hand… I also think there’s a strong argument (with the solid backing of zero scientific evidence), that when you change things up, you stay full longer. It’s as though your body registers that something’s different and sits up.
Especially when that something is a protein that you slip in when your body’s least expecting it. When you eat protein it stays with you longer, meaning less snacking and less pre-lunch energy dips. Eating protein (especially protein you really have to chew) also means you’re likely to eat more slowly, which means the “I’m full” message gets registered before the “I want more” message overrides it. For some people, low-satiety foods (starchy carbs and sugar) can actually act as an appetite stimulant, making it even less likely that the “I’m full message” will come in time to avoid over-eating.
Fat itself (such as the fat in proteins like eggs, meat, and tempeh) also helps trigger this satiety response. Animal-based fats contain vitamins A and D which are particularly helpful in the absorption of protein. It’s largely why I leave in the egg yolk, and leave in the fat in yogurt.
I did add one thing to the “steak as breakfast” that I didn’t add the night before – “breakfast pesto” – called that, not because it has anything to do with breakfast per se or because it contains eggs or something weird like that, but because I made it to accompany my “breakfast” whose only flaw was slight moisture-loss from a night in the fridge.
The next post will be all about the pesto itself and I’ll share some great suggestions I got on FaceBook about creative alternatives.
In the meantime, get the divine steak marinade recipe.
What goes inside the marinade… (though I forgot the soy, which you should not).
Any unconventional breakfast foods you want to share? Any fave marinades we should know about for summer BBQing?
Related Posts
Grass Fed Beef: Worth The Hype?
Confusion Around the F-Word
Get Posts By Email
