You guys loved the “PIMP Your PB & J” post so much, I want to continue this “upgrade your meal” series by helping you with another common food item – cereal.
Like the PB & J, cereal is a classic food item that I ate every morning for the first 20-some years of my life. It tastes great, its quick and easy to make, and “authorities have been telling us for years is part of a complete breakfast. Many of you do the same, but unfortunately, breakfast cereal is one the WORST things an athlete can, no matter what time of day!
What’s wrong with breakfast cereals?
- All cereals, no matter how healthy they seem are made with highly refined and processed grains. These are pro-inflammatory, spike blood sugar, and don’t provide sustainable energy.
- Most contain ridiculously high amounts of sugar.
- Little to NO protein.
- Don’t forget all the preservatives and other ingredients you can’t pronounce.
- Even the supposedly healthy cereal are sweetened with cane juice (sugar) and made with processed grains…you don’t think those “healthy” little shapes, clusters, and squares occur in nature do you?!
- Don’t forget you have add milk…something I’ve written about in the past. It is my opinion that humans interested in health and performance should not consume traditional milk from factory farmed cattle. Briefly: milk’s biological purpose is to promote growth, most cattle are unhealthy and they pass that down through bodily fluids (blood, milk, etc), milk contains 10-12g sugar per 8oz serving. I could go on, but this post is about cereal, not milk. The only milk I recommend is raw milk from grass-fed cattle. You can click here for more info and to find raw-milk near you.
Ok Ryan, so how do we fix it?
As always, my carbohydrate choices remain: rice, oats, potatoes, quinoa, and Ezekiel (sprouted grain) bread. At first glance you might think oats would make the only breakfast cereal. Sure you could do a bowl of oatmeal, but we’re talking about cold cereal here. Enter, puffed rice! This stuff is awesome. Found in health food stores, puffed rice is simply whole grain rice that has had air blow into it, like a healthy rice crispie!
** Be sure to double check the ingredients: the only ingredient should be rice.
- Now, find yourself a large bowl and add 2-3C of the puffed rice(depending on the amount of carbs you need at that meal)
- Let’s solve the protein dilemma by adding 1-2 scoops of protein powder. I suggest a whey/casein blend to add thickness, but all whey works as well. The rice will have a neutral flavor, so you can use any protein flavor you like…want “Cinnamon Toast Crunch”? Go with a cinnamon roll flavored protein powder. Banana, strawberry, chocolate, and even vanilla also work.
- To add some healthy fats, slow the digestion, boost fiber content, and balance this meal out, I add almonds or almond butter.
- Pour a little water over the dry ingredients and stir.
^Homemade Cocoa Crispies: 2 scoops chocolate Protein Plus (whey, egg, casein) from Met-Rx, water, and almonds with puffed rice!
Questions, comments, or recipes ideas? Foods you want me to “PIMP”? Post below!!