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Breakfast: Paleo Style
When you first start on the Paleo diet, one of the hardest adjustments to make can be breakfast! So many traditional menus for that first and oh-so-important meal of the day incorporate items that people on a Paleo plan try to avoid – things such as bread or toast, pancakes and waffles, cereal, and sugary fruit juices.
The Problem With a Quick Sugar Fix
Many of us get into the habit of thinking that breakfast foods like these will help us start the day stoked with energy – indeed, we may end up addicted to them. But according to some nutritionists, the problem is that many of these breakfast staples are simply providing a fast sugar fix. They’re made with refined grains that the body converts quickly into “simple sugars” which contribute to an energy spike, followed quickly by a dip which can lead to cravings for equally unhealthy mid-morning snacks.
Finding the Time – and the Inspiration
Trouble is, even though you may know that you should opt for more nutritious breakfast options, you may fall back on bad, old habits simply because you lack the time, the energy, or the inspiration to put better alternatives on the table.
You may be in a rush to get to the office or complete the school run before the tardy bell sounds. And anyone who has kids will know that you have to be pretty skillful to get them to willingly eat a healthy breakfast – or anything at all – before they’re running out of the door.
Finding Great Paleo Breakfast Ideas
So what choices do you have to start your day the Paleo way – eating breakfasts that fit in with Paleo guidelines without getting bored by a limit set of options?
One solution that everyone agrees on is that it’s a lot easier if you like eggs – poached, scrambled, soft or hard-boiled, over easy or sunny side up. Plus there’s a myriad options from omelets and frittatas to crustless quiches. And eggs can be a key ingredient in paleo-style alternatives to SAD (Standard American Diet) dishes such as pumpkin bread french toast or butternut squash pancakes.
But eggs can sometimes get boring – and, try as you might, not everyone likes them!
15 Paleo Dishes to Start Your Day With Pizzazz
Here’s a list of mouth-watering Paleo breakfast ideas – some with egg,s some without – which will inspire you to come up with your own recipes and might even just convince any skeptics in your household to join you in a breakfast that will keep your energy levels up without relying on a burst of sugar:
- Breakfast Pizza with a Sausage Crust – topped with eggs, bacon, mushrooms and avocado
- Breakfast Burritos made with Grain-Free Tortillas – filled with turkey chorizo sausage and scrabbled eggs
- Sweet Potato Hash Browns
- Eggs and Avocado Pie – with fruit, bacon or sausage
- Almond Flour and Pumpkin Pancakes
- Banana / Nut Porridge – made with almonds, pecans and coconut milk
- Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs
- Scotch Eggs – hard-boiled eggs coated with sausage meat and almond meal and fried or baked
- Salmon or tuna burgers
- Kippered herrings
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Fruit salad
- Parma ham or Jamon Serrano with Melon
- Roasted Veggies or Salad – (who said it was only for lunch or dinner?!)
- Leftovers from the previous day – maybe sautéed with mushrooms or onions as an accompaniment to eggs served your favorite way.
Getting Creative With Breakfast
When you look at breakfast menus this way, it quickly becomes apparent that it’s as flexible a meal as any other – there’s not rule that says you can’t have steak for breakfast, or soup or salad if you choose – as long as it is made from ingredients that conform to Paleo principles.
In fact, many long-suffering moms who are trying to convert their kids to Paleo eating find that one of the best strategies is to identify any foods that fit to the plan and look for inventive ways of making breakfast dishes out of them.
Being Realistic
Another good piece of advice for anyone who is trying to transition to this style of eating is not to try and go complete “cold turkey,” making an absolutely strict meal plan from day one – that enthusiasm may suit you, but might totally discourage your partner of your kids!
The writer Robb Wolf created a “Seven Shades of Paleo” classification system, running the gamut from “That Guy” – the militant zealots who follow the Caveman diet almost to the point of hunting and skinning their own meat – to the “I Decide” person who mixes and matches ingredients as they choose.
The reality is that many people will end up somewhere in the middle – for example, going 80/20 (stricter in the week than at the weekends) or “lacto-paleo”, mixing pale foods with whole dairy products.
Where to Go for More Information
If you want to follow a Caveman Diet, don’t let a lack of easy breakfast dish suggestions put you off starting your day the Paleo way. This Paleo Breakfast Recipe cookbook comes with ideas for every meal of the day – plus a set of four bonuses to help you make Paleo eating part of your regular lifestyle.