It is a cliché that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I’m not going to argue against it. Breakfast fuels our bodies after hours of fasting while we sleep and is essential to maintaining energy levels throughout the day. Many of my Zen Shiatsu clients who experience difficulties with digestion or fatigue have resolved those problems through eating a nourishing breakfast. Lately I’ve seen many people come for Zen Shiatsu treatments that don’t eat breakfast or believe that coffee, chocolate or fruit are ok to have for breakfast. Unfortunately, they’re not.
So what happens if you just have caffeine or chocolate for breakfast? In the case of caffeine, since it’s a stimulant, you will feel more awake and your body will be stimulated into action. But the stimulation from caffeine is not the same as the energy your body receives from complex carbohydrates. Caffeine and chocolate contain chemicals that are an artificial spur to activity that will weaken kidney energy in the long-term, meaning that the body will need more caffeine to combat the fatigue. Chocolate for breakfast also affects the stomach and spleen/pancreas energy from the high sugar content and the strain of dealing with the sudden rise/fall in blood sugar levels. Fruits are a better option than caffeine or chocolate but they are still quite high in simple sugar and don’t have enough complex carbohydrates to provide the sustained nourishment that our bodies require.
What would be included in a nourishing breakfast? Eating a breakfast based on wholegrains containing complex carbohydrates and proteins is optimal for the functioning of the body. (You’ll see examples of those types of breakfasts at the Remedies page or in other recipes published on this blog.) Complex carbohydrates from wholegrains slowly release food energy into the bloodstream, thus satisfying our hunger. Since it is necessary to chew cooked grains well, chewing helps to wake up the peristaltic action of the intestines. Combined with the fibre and liquids in cooked grains, chewing helps to keep bowel movements regular.
Some people don’t feel hungry at breakfast and would prefer to wait until they do feel hungry before they eat. Of course you should never force yourself to eat. But not feeling hungry within an hour of waking can be a sign of digestive weakness. We all experience lack of hunger in the morning after eating a rich meal the previous evening or if we’ve eaten quite late. But if it’s a regular occurrence and hunger is not felt until 10 or 11am, or if you feel nauseous during or after eating breakfast, then it’s most likely a sign that the digestive energy is weak and needs to be healed. The way to do this is to introduce a very small bowl of cooked grains or a small cup of miso soup at breakfast. As the body becomes accustomed to eating in the morning, you can gradually make the meals larger.
Many of my clients have felt the beneficial effects of having a nourishing breakfast. One client who had rice congee for breakfast for several months found all her bloating disappeared and she lost several kilograms of weight effortlessly. Another client who ate chocolate for breakfast for years found her mood swings improved and her mind became calmer and her period pain decreased. A third client found that giving up coffee and having a nourishing breakfast gave her the energy to cope with stressful mornings at work and regulated her energy levels throughout the day so she still had energy at the end of the workday for the activities she enjoyed.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.