Eating cereals for breakfast? Endocrinologist warns against carb-heavy options and shares what to eat instead
If your frequent breakfast meals include cereal, pastries, white bread, then you may be at risk of rapid blood sugar spikes.
Do you eat breakfast cereals or other high-carb breakfasts? It may seem like a staple and convenient option, just pour in milk and cereals and eat. But this handy option may not be healthy for your blood sugar levels. Since breakfast is vital, widely regarded as the ‘most important meal of the day’, what you eat in the morning needs to be taken seriously. Morning routines are usually hectic, which often relegates breakfast to whatever is within reach, or worse, skipping it altogether.
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New Jersey-based endocrinologist Dr Alessia Roehnelt addressed this issue in a video on Instagram on December 29, explaining how to select the correct breakfast choices.
Why should you avoid carb-heavy?
The endocrinologist warned that the main reason to avoid carb-heavy meals in the morning is that the body is naturally predisposed to react adversely to anything that may induce a blood sugar spike.
The reason behind this is that the body is still in an overnight fast. She added, “After an overnight fast, the body is more insulin-resistant in the morning. That means if you have a high-carb meal first thing in the morning, your blood sugar is going to spike up higher, and your insulin levels are going to go higher than if you had eaten the same meal later in the day.” The body is so sensitive, becoming insulin resistant during the early hours of the day, that if you eat the same meal any other time, the spike won't be as high.
She advised avoiding having cereal, pastries, or juice on an empty stomach as they all contribute to rapid blood sugar spikes.
What should you have instead?
So what should you actually eat? Since your breakfast has such a big impact on your health, choosing the right meal becomes critical to avoid ripple effects like energy crashes, sugar spikes, and increased fat storage later in the day.
The endocrinologist suggested, “Starting the day with a low-carb, protein-forward breakfast can help reduce glucose and insulin spikes, improve energy, and support metabolic health throughout the day.”
Besides blood sugar spikes, the doctor noted that when insulin levels rise, the body is prompted to store fat. “Insulin is also a hormone of fat storage, so if your insulin levels are high, it's telling your body to store fat rather than burn it,” she explained. A high-protein, low-carb breakfast can easily counter this response.
One can choose options like: eggs, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, chia pudding, avocado, and nuts. This simple breakfast shift can especially be helpful for people with insulin resistance, PCOS, prediabetes, and stubborn weight gain.
Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them. This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.
