Hompes MethodPractitioner Training Level I
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LESSON FIVE
Morning Schedule & Breakfast
Morning Routine
• You’ll see some common and repeated problems when you analyse your clients’ food diaries. One such problem is their morning and breakfast routine. Helping your clients modify their morning routine can be pure gold.
3 Common “Morning Mistakes”
1. Sleeping in disrupts circadian rhythm, and affects energy, mood, appetite, elimination of waste and sleep [I find that if I sleep in beyond 7:30am I don’t feel as good as I do when I get up at 6 or 6:30am.
2. Not rehydrating on waking (they’ve gone 6, 8, 10 hours without water).
3. Rushing breakfast because of a perception that other things are more important (taking kids to school, getting to work, etc.)
(this is before we even talk about specific foods!)
3 More Common “Morning Mistakes”
1. Leaving too big-a-gap between getting up and eating breakfast, placing stress on the adrenal glands due to low blood sugar.
2. Skipping breakfast altogether, or eating a completely inappropriate breakfast.
3. Exercising before breakfast, which again can place significant stress on the adrenals.
The Good News
• The good news is that you can help your clients modify and optimise all these habits relatively easily. Let’s focus on three core aspects of the morning schedule:
– Morning routine
– Breakfast
– Mid-morning snacks
Morning Routine
• The body likes rhythm and hormones work on a circadian and daily rhythm. We cover this topic in detail later in the programme.
• I strongly recommend you aim to ask your clients to wake and rise at the same time each day including weekends.
• This can make an enormous difference to the way they feel.
Morning Routine
1. Aim to wake and get out of bed between 6:00-7:00am in order to optimize daily hormone cycles [to fine tune, I recommend you ask your client to monitor how he or she feels when rising at 6, 6:30 and 7]
Morning Routine
2. On rising, and before doing anything else, ask your client to swish some water around in the mouth, gargle and spit it out. This helps to clean any dust, etc. that’s accumulated in the oral cavity overnight. Then, recommend they do a sodium bicarb mouthwash, which they again gargle and spit out.
Morning Routine
3. Drink 1-2 8oz glasses of water, perhaps with a pinch of Morton’s canning and pickling salt to add hardness to the water (remember slightly harder water is associated with reduced incidence of CVD).
4. Jump in the shower and allow the body to absorb the fluids just consumed.
Morning Routine
5. I recommend leaving 20-30min between drinking your water and eating breakfast. Of course, your clients can prepare breakfast while the water they have just consumed is being processed by the body.
Morning Routine
• Teach your clients that their body does not perceive breakfast as different from other meals. The same goal exists at breakfast time as at any other mealtime: supply the body with the nutrients it needs to function properly.
Morning Routine
• One unique aspect of breakfast is the fact that people have gone 8 hours or more without food. Thus, the body is hungry for nutrients – it needs its core building blocks and fuels, which are proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It also needs its micronutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals.
Morning Routine
• Society as a whole has been programmed to think there’s such a thing as a “breakfast” food. In other words, the food companies tell us to eat certain foods such as cereal and milk, toast, croissants and other processed grain products for breakfast.
**This is purely food industry hype**
Morning Routine
• As you probably know, a typical “western” breakfast includes:
– Cereal (carbohydrate)
– Toast (carbohydrate)
– Cup of tea or coffee (caffeine with sugar – carbohydrate)
– Fruit or OJ (carbohydrate)
– Possibly an egg or two, an omelette or some meat (protein and fat)
Morning Routine
• These foods are typically loaded with:
– Carbohydrate (AKA sugar)
– Gluten (covered later in the program)
– Vegetable oils
– Other additives such as soy, preservatives, processed milk solids, etc.
– There’s very little protein and fat content
Morning Routine
• In reality, breakfast is just another meal. The body doesn’t cry out for the foods advertised on TV! It cries out for high quality, unprocessed and nutrient-dense foods to satisfy itself after 8-10 hours of fasting!
Morning Routine
• Hompes Method moves away from socially acceptable and industry-promoted breakfast ideas in order to give the body what it needs to function properly. CHO-dominant breakfasts are not ideal and are a major reason why people don’t have good energy levels, need caffeine, experience cravings and have mood swings.
Morning Routine
• Eating protein on its own (e.g. scrambled eggs) will push blood sugar too low. People don’t realise that certain amino acids, as well as CHO, causes an insulin response. Achieving the right combination of protein, fat and carbohydrate helps balance blood sugar levels and reduces “stress” on your clients’ body.
CARBOHYDRATEFAT PROTEIN
ENERGY!
Remember…
Morning Routine
• Breakfast can be a tough meal for people to get right, largely because of perceived time constraints. Coach your clients to go to bed earlier, and get up 20-30min earlier to give themselves time to prepare a healthy, nourishing breakfast!
Morning Routine
• The Hompes Method Basic Meal Template (very simple):
– One major Protein source (or two)
– Carbohydrates – root vegetables, fruit, fruit juice (gluten-free grains are ok, but are least optimal)
– Additional Fats and Oils where necessary
Morning Routine
• As you already know, the food list is color coded. Coach your clients to eat foods in the green and orange sections.
Breakfast Protein
Meat, as long as it is organic or free-range
Poultry, as long as it is organic or free-range
Liver (once per week, if enjoyed)
Eggs
Goat’s Yoghurt & Cheese
Collagen hydrosylate powder
Fish & seafood (if your client can stomach it – if not, there are plenty of other choices)
Breakfast Carbohydrates
• Potato & root veg:– Sweet potato
– Yam
– Squash
• Fruit:– Berries, banana, kiwi,
nectarine, orange, etc.
• Freshly squeezed orange juice
• Certified gluten-Free oats & oatmeal
• Rice cereals
• Quinoa
• Millet
Breakfast Fats & Oils
• Eggs
• Goat’s butter and cheese
• Fat contained in/on meats
• Coconut milk
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
Morning Routine
• Realise and understand that these concepts can be a little overwhelming for people at first. Have empathy and move at a pace congruent with your client’s tolerance for change.
Morning Routine - Resources
• Use the “Morning Routine” document that accompanies this lesson. This is the document we give to all our clients to get them started.
Morning Routine - Summary
• If you don’t help your clients get their morning routine in order, they won’t be able to establish optimal circadian rhythm. Without optimal circadian rhythm, nothing works properly!
Thank You!
• Thanks so much for tuning in – let’s move swiftly on to look at the importance of adding a morning snack.
