What should I eat in the morning?

September 8, 2008 8:50 AM

RamadanFilter: I'm fasting and I need to know what to eat so I'm not ravenous and faint by the sunset.

I've been fasting for the last week and have been able to keep it up pretty well.

The one problem I'm having is with what I should eat in the morning. I've been trying to eat what I would normally eat during the day, but I find it's not enough. I drink plenty of water, but my blood sugar seems to dip really low by the end of the day.

I've been eating roast beef sandwiches, waffles, grapes, and turkey bacon. Sometimes I switch out the waffles for oatmeal.

So, I need suggestions as to foods that will keep my blood sugar up, or at least not make me feel as hungry.

posted by reenum to food & drink (12 answers total)

More carbs, less protein should give you more sustained energy during the day.
posted by beagle at 8:55 AM on September 8, 2008

You want to stuff that digests slowly or slows digestion. Get a lot of complex carbs for energy throughout day but also with protein/fat/fiber to slow it's digestion down. Avoid sugar and simple carbs is key.

Waffles and white bread (on the sandwich you talked about) are probably not the best, the carbs are digested very quickly and spike your blood sugar (which then bombs). If you're eating oatmeal I'd avoid instant oatmeal which is basically just as bad as bread. Oatmeal, for me, has a very "filling" effect which might make it hard to really pig out in the AM. Furthermore graps are very high water content and low calories (and sucrose which is sugar) and may be a waste of precious stomach space.

Good luck!
posted by wolfkult at 9:01 AM on September 8, 2008

Oatmeal, but real oatmeal. Steel-cut, not rolled, and definitely not instant. Head down to Whole Foods or your local co-op and pick it up for ~$1 a pound instead of ~$6+ at the supermarket.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:01 AM on September 8, 2008

Wouldn't carbohydrates digest soon, leaving your feeling hungry? (Though, perhaps not faint.)
posted by cmiller at 9:10 AM on September 8, 2008

More carbs, less protein should give you more sustained energy during the day.

IME an even caloric split between fats, carbs, and protein is best.

Almonds are an excellent dietary mix of fats and protein.

Add in some cheese & oatmeal and that should get you through.
posted by troy at 9:10 AM on September 8, 2008

Yes, steel cut oatmeal -- If it takes less than 15 minutes to cook, it's too "instant". While it's cooking, mix in some peanut butter. It will be delicious and full of good, slow-burning calories. If you eat that with your turkey bacon, throw in a couple of scrambled eggs and a high fiber tortilla (like the kind Ezekiel makes) you should stay full for days. Or at least until tonight.
IMHO, you should also buy high-quality foods (organic, free-range, etc). Some people believe that this stuff contains more nutrients, which could also slow down the rate at which your body absorbs the food and turns it into energy, and make you feel more healthy overall while fasting. At the very least, it will taste better than processed supermarket junk.
posted by wetpaint at 9:18 AM on September 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Don't forget to consume a good amount of potassium, lest you begin to cramp up by the end of the day.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 9:20 AM on September 8, 2008

Eat a mix - lentils, nuts, fruit, and if you eat meat, have some meat if you can stomach it in the morning. Eggs are also good - a nice omelet with some veggies, or hard boiled eggs will keep you satisfied for a while. Waffles are pretty empty, and don't satisfy hunger for long - skip them if you can. Oatmeal with some fruit, maybe even some chopped nuts mixed in, is a good start.

However, Ramadan when the days are long, are always going to leave you ravenous by iftar time! The best thing to do is also just keep busy (without exhausting yourself), to try and keep your mind off of obsessing about how hungry you are. Talk to people about it, and if you know others who are fasting, commiserating helps pass the time.

Good luck!
posted by raztaj at 9:28 AM on September 8, 2008

Protein, fat, and carbs in the form of fiber (sans sugar - no waffles, think green veggies or nuts instead).
posted by chez shoes at 9:39 AM on September 8, 2008

It's best to avoid carbs and high-glycemic foods during the entire process so you're not craving them at nightfall when you can give yourself a temporary sugar fix that will come back to haunt you during the daytime. Introducing sugar and simple carbs to your already shell-shocked system will just make your cravings more intense, since those foods spike your blood sugar and lead to afternoon crashes.
posted by zoomorphic at 9:53 AM on September 8, 2008

Here's a recent study re: nutrition of organically grown products.

Nuts and less processed foods---like the whole grains mentioned above, as well as meats---will process through your body more slowly and although you'll be hungry by nightfall, should help ameliorate the feeling of faintness.
posted by mumstheword at 11:13 AM on September 8, 2008

here's the study
posted by mumstheword at 11:15 AM on September 8, 2008