What to eat for breakfast?

[Adk_dib]

What breakfast do you find gives you the most energy for the day. Last couple of time out I felt drained a little and dont know if I am getting the best nutrician out of my breakfast. I absolutly hate to eat breakfast becasue my stomach is very queasy when I get up. But I know I have to eat something to get through a big hike. I usually eat Jimmy dean breakfast bowls. I was wondering if I should switch to cereal. If so, what type is best. Please tell me donuts

 

[Jay H]

OK.. Donuts.

have you tried instead of one big breakfast, try to eat smaller meals but more often? Of whatever you like, which could be donuts for all that matters.

to be honest with you, my breakfast for most days is just a bowl of cereal and some milk...

jay

 

[cbcbd]

I eat pastries and they work for me. Danishes are the best.
If I eat too much protein and then start moving right away... well, things start moving right away. So I stay away from proteins for breakfast.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

A local elite bike racer once revealed his secret breakfast:

OJ
Yogurt
Oatmeal with peanut butter

I've used this on race days and usually on a hike day and it seems to work pretty well. I don't always eat the yogurt, but it does make a convenient snack to eat while doing the final gear up at the trailhead. Cereal and milk, which I eat Mon-Fri, doesn't last as long. High-protein (eggs + bacon) is harder to digest (for me.)

Of course, YMMV.

Tim

 

[DSettahr]

I've been eating Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars for the past few years as a breakfast food in the woods during warmer months. I've found that 2 or 3 bars get me going pretty well. They're mostly grain, although they do have some corn syrup and other sugars in them. They also don't require any cooking, which is less fuel for me to carry!

In the winter, I generally go with instant oatmeal.

I've tried bringing dry cereal in the past, as well as other instant breakfast items like Pop-Tarts, but none of them ever filled me up substantially. I always found myself craving food within an hour after I'd started hiking for the day.

 

[teleskier]

Bacon, egg & cheese on a hard roll from Lox O' Bagels & Moor, exit 18 on the way up. Works every time, even for monster winter trips.

Seriously, I've found that gives me energy well into the day, much more so than my previous bagel, scone or danish regimen.

 

[Maddy]

Bacon, egg & cheese on a hard roll from Lox O' Bagels & Moor, exit 18 on the way up. Works every time, even for monster winter trips.

Seriously, I've found that gives me energy well into the day, much more so than my previous bagel, scone or danish regimen.

I think Teleskier's got it right. The protein and complex carb balance. The carbs give you the energy and protein sustains you so you don't crash.
Looks like he's not eating lots of simple sugars to give him that rebound from too much insulin production to metabolize sugar.

 

[DougPaul]

A mixture of carbs, protein, and fat is good. The carbs come online in an hour or so, the proteins in several hours, and the fats in the afternoon. Complex carbs are better than simple carbs (sugars)--less shock to the blood-sugar regulation system. Bikehikeskifish's breakfast fits this recipe. A simpler version is peanut butter on some form of bread plus something to drink.

Doug

 

[Rik]

Bacon, egg & cheese on a hard roll from Lox O' Bagels & Moor, exit 18 on the way up. Works every time, even for monster winter trips.

You just need to plan in an extra ten minutes to the trip while you wait for the cute girls to make your sandwich.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Bikehikeskifish's breakfast fits this recipe.

You stay away from my breakfast!

Tim

 

[ColdRiverRun]

You just need to plan in an extra ten minutes to the trip while you wait for the cute girls to make your sandwich.

Is that why your always late?

 

[Grumpy]

I've always favored a good western omelet (splashed with Tobasco sauce) accompanied by fried potatoes and wheat or rye toast, and OJ. Or a couple of pancakes, two or three eggs fried over easy, sausage, maple syrup and OJ. Plus coffee.

G.

 

[The Lisa]

I do not like to eat first thing in the morning either but if hitting the trail for a long hike or an ultra race I do have to put some fuel in the engine.

I find protein and fat work very well for me - bacon and eggs and lots of Tabasco sauce Some carbs in the form of a piece of fruit or home fries can help too.

The protein and fat burn slowly and steadily and I do not need to eat so much throughout the day as a result, just bars and/or gels.

Eating something small and then eating more frequently throughout the day might help ease your stomach into accepting food first thing in the morning.

It takes some experimenting. I have found that much as I love pancakes they are the worst thing to have for pre-hike breakfast - I just want to go back to sleep so low-carb is working well for me.

 

[--M.]

Well, I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
--Johnny Cash

Coffee for my breakfast,
Shot of whiskey on the side;
It's a dark & dreary morning
With the clouds covering up the sky.
--Robert Cray

For heavy hiking, you need a heavy breakfast. Diners if civilized (Peg's, Joe Dodge, Dunkin', Patches). If on the trail: pre-cooked bacon, oatmeal, raisins, pepperoni, cheddar, Snickers, coffee, Gatorade.

And as much as I can identify with our city-bound role-models-in-song, I think the hiker's breakfast is healthier.

Unless, of course, you wanna go trudgin' across the tundra (mile after mile) to the home of the patron saint of smelt fishermen of Portuguese extraction.

 

[DougPaul]

Bikehikeskifish's breakfast fits this recipe.

You stay away from my breakfast!

Your breakfast is safe from me--I don't like oatmeal...

Doug

 

[snowsusie]

Bacon and eggs, preferably at Denny's. I'll eat the toast but if I eat the pancakes, I feel sluggish. I also prefer to leave my house without eating and then stop for breakfast part way to the trailhead. Denny's is about half way between my house and the Catskills.

 

[Rik]

Is that why your always late?

I can neither confirm nor deny.

 

[Bigfoot]

I was told the protein you eat today will work for you tomorrow. The carbs you eat today will work for you today. I think the fats are somewhere in the middle.

I would think eating protein in the morning will help late in the day.

The best approach is keep hiking and keep eating and find what works. Oh, and have lots of fun.

 

[J.Dub]

What breakfast do you find gives you the most energy for the day.

Sardines...

 

[sardog1]

+1 for oatmeal and OJ. Or yogurt with granola and fruit plus the OJ. Oats will keep you going for an amazingly long time.

And not sardines -- kippers! More a lunch item for me, but I've been known to reach for a can on a cold morning. Just have a plan for dealing with the fish oil in the can. And be ready for Bruin to start following you on the trail . . .