Subj: How to get lean and mean with an old-old-oldschool meal – the meat and nuts breakfast!
The meat and nuts breakfast is as old school as it gets. The rule of nutrition goes like this – the longer something has been around, the better it is for you.
Water, for example, has covered the planet for billions of years and just happens to be the best things for your body.
When it comes to food, meat and nuts where a staple of the early man’s diet. Humans evolved and thrived while eating protein rich food sources like meat and nuts.
And the best time to eat this combo is first thing in the morning!
According to Charles Poliquin, The Strength Sensei, the meat and nuts breakfast is the single best dietary thing you can do to positively impact your life!
That’s because the meat and nuts breakfast has physical and mental benefits.
Eat the Meat and Nuts Breakfast for a Better Brain and Body
It ‘s been stated that the meat and nuts breakfast is Charles Poliquin’s “single best diet tip to maximize energy, leanness, and mental focus“.
Physically, the meat and nuts breakfast gives you quality protein and fat at the macro level (more on this later). Fat keeps you full longer than other nutrients and curbs sugar cravings.
Protein builds muscle and other tissues. Meat and nuts are natural, clean food that man was intended to eat.
There are mental benefits as well – According to Poliquin, eating meat and nuts for breakfast raises dopamine and Acetylcholine levels.
Optimal levels of dopamine and Acetylcholine leads to incredible benefits such as:
- Improved mood and well being
- Filling and reduces cravings
- Sustained energy
- Mental Sharpness
- Laser Focus
- Burn fat
acetyl-choline is an amazing chemical compound that is involved in the signaling muscle movement, learning and memory formation, the regulation of the endocrine system and rapid eye movement (REM) sleeps cycles.
This makes diets high in acetyl-choline, like the meat and nuts breakfast, perfect for having the right stuff for hard workouts and recovery.
Having the right amount of acetyl-choline helps create hard muscle contractions, and as you may or may not know, maximum muscle contraction is a MUST to achieve hypertrophy, muscle density and muscle definition (to look ‘cut’).
The Meat and Nuts Breakfast is High in Protein
First of all, meat and nuts contain quality protein and fat which gives you sustained energy all morning (much like steak and eggs). No mid-morning crash like you experience after eating cereal or toast for breakfast.
The meat and nuts breakfast creates a gradual blood sugar increase throughout the morning. meaning you have steady energy all morning.
High protein diets are also known to reduce hunger pangs, lessen fixation on food, and reduce the urge for late-night snacking.
So, front loading your day with a hearty high-protein breakfast is a step in the right direction!
Scientific studies have shown that employee productivity and the attention patterns of children improve after eating a high-protein breakfast like meat and nuts.
So, I Tried The Meat and Nuts Breakfast and…
My meat and nuts breakfast experience was random but it worked out great!
It consisted of beef jerky and raw almonds. Let me explain how it came to be…
I was driving to work Monday morning after leaving my girlfriends house. I skipped breakfast that morning because I had to drive 90 minutes to work and skipped eating a proper breakfast.
My girlfriend, being the sweetheart that she is, surprised me with gifts when I visited, which included almonds and beef jerky.
I was hungry on my drive into work so I had myself an impromptu meat and nuts breakfast while listening to the Free Beer and Hot Wings radio show (hilarious – you should listen to them).
My morning was super busy but I had great focus and energy. I felt awake and alert, calm and collected and was happy to be working.
I remembered learning about Charles Poliquin’s meat and nuts breakfast on a blog or podcast somewhere. Either way, it stuck with me and today was the perfect opportunity to try it out!
It was a great breakfast all things considered. I sounds weird to eat meat and nuts in the morning but it’s actually quite good.
The nutrient profile of meat and nuts satisfies your bodies need for fuel.
Meat and Nuts Breakfast Option
Which ever kind of meat and nuts is your favorite will work great. As long as it’s natural. Avoid anything processed or frozen.
Breakfast Meat Options
- Steak – any cut of your choice
- Ground Beef hamburger patties
- Turkey burger
- Beef jerky (plain or with all natural seasoning)
Breakfast Nuts Options
- Almonds (Raw or roasted. I get raw unsalted because sodium intake should be kept low)
- Pistachios
- Macadamian nuts
- Walnuts
- Cashews
- Sunflower seeds
Your body craves nutrients when you wake up. Eating high quality, natural protein and fat sources like meat and nuts is perfect to jump start your metabolism and fuel your morning.
The meat and nuts breakfast provides a healthy dose of protein, natural fat and essential vitamins and minerals.
Don’t get hung up on eating meat and nuts for breakfast. It sounds weird, but it’s really not that bad.
The meat and nuts breakfast can be eaten in the morning, or in the afternoon if you’re intermittent fasting.
As long as it’s the first meal of your day. (Breakfast means to break a fast. So breakfast technically means the first meal of your day no matter when you eat it.)
Is the Meat and Nuts Diet Right for you?
So, is the meat and nuts breakfast all it’s cracked up to be?
Charles Poliquin believes that the first meal of the day sets the tone for neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters speed up or slow down nerve impulses.
Dopamine and Acetylcholine are two very important neurotransmitters. Having suboptimal levels of either one could cause problems.
For example, low levels of Acetylcholine can lead to muscle weakness and other negative health effects. While low dopamine levels have been associated with cognitive/mental issues and depression.
Err on the side of caution and make sure you get adequate dopamine and Acetylcholine in your system by eating the meat and nuts breakfast!
Elite athletes rave about this diet. And Charles Poliquin didn’t get to the top of his field by spewing bullshit. I think it’s the real deal. The science checks out.
But, at the end of the day it’s up to you to give it a try and see for yourself.
BONUS: Video of me meal prepping to Meat and Nuts breakfast!
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