Even though breakfast is not the most important meal of the day (science suggests that no one meal is more valuable than another), breakfast eaters tend to experience the best benefits by selecting a filling breakfast that leaves you wanting less for lunch, curbs snacking, and gives you fuel for hours.

While eggs are a popular staple (and for good reason, they are loaded with protein and fat) and the foundation of a fulfilling breakfast, you can upgrade any egg-based meal to help keep you fuller for longer — like our hearty egg skillet.

If you want to upgrade your breakfast — or any meal — into a combination of foods that makes it easier to stay on track with your diet, we’ve provided a simple outline that will increase the fullness, satisfaction, and flavor so you have an easier time achieving your goals.

How to Kill Your Appetite

There are many factors that can make you feel hungry that have nothing to do with the foods you eat. For example, sleep deprivation is one of the biggest causes of hunger.

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that sleeping less than six hours triggers the area of your brain that increases your need for food while also depressing leptin and stimulating ghrelin.

The more ghrelin you produce, the more you stimulate hunger while also reducing the number of calories you burn (your metabolism) and increasing the amount of fat you store. In other words, you need to control leptin and ghrelin to successfully lose weight, but sleep deprivation makes that nearly impossible.

And if all that wasn’t enough, research published in Psychoneuroendocrinology found that sleep deprivation makes you select greater portion sizes of all foods, further increasing the likelihood of weight gain.

Translation: if you want to kill your hunger, start by getting a minimum of 6 hours of sleep per night, but (ideally), you’ll rest at least 7.5 hours per night.

When it comes to specific foods and feeling full, all calories are not equal. Some foods increase satiety or the feeling of fullness. In particular, if you want to feel fuller for longer (or, in this case, a breakfast that keeps you full for hours) and keep it simple, build a meal focused around 3 elements:

• Protein
• Fiber
• Foods that retain water

Protein is the most-filling macronutrient, compared to carbs or fats.

Fiber helps control hunger by slowing down the process by which foods empty in your stomach and speeds up digestion, and that combo helps you stay satisfied for longer.

Drinking water helps with appetite and enjoying foods that retain water has been shown to help decrease how much food you consume.

What Foods Are Best At Controlling Hunger?

Because satiety determines your hunger and feelings of fullness, the satiety index was created to help you measure how well a meal keeps you satisfied.

It’s a simple way to know if the foods you eat are doing the job you want, which is mainly to keep you away from the snack drawer at work.

Foods that have a score of more than 100 are considered more filling, and those with less than 100 might leave you going for seconds or thirds on your meal.

The foods that are best at keeping you full include:

• Potatoes
• Meat
• Eggs
• Fish
• Vegetables
• Cheese
• Nuts
• Legumes/beans

As an added benefit, research shows that spicy foods can also help suppress hunger.

Use any of those foods and you’re more likely to be fuller for longer. Combine several of those foods and you have the perfect recipe for energy, satisfaction, and the elimination of hunger.

The Best Egg Breakfast to Keep You Fuller (For Longer)

We couldn’t squeeze in every ingredient, but this breakfast has been approved by hundreds of online coaching clients, and it’s exactly what you can eat to fill you up and power you through any day.

This healthy egg breakfast recipe contains 6 of the foods that are highest on the satiety index, and it adds a touch of spice (if you like it) to help keep your hunger at bay.

If you try this recipe, be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Egg Skillet Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon, uncured & nitrate-free
• 6 eggs, pastured
• ¾ cup egg whites
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed
• ½ cup onion, diced
• 20 Brussels sprouts, quarters
• ¼ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 cup lentils
• Hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Slice the bacon into ½” thick mini slices. Add those to a large saute pan or cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, the bacon should be about halfway cooked. Drain ½ of the grease from the pan.
2. Add the chopped onion and lentils. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until they’ve softened, then add the sweet potato and Brussels sprouts. Keep the skin on the potato; that’s where a lot of the nutrients are. No need to de-stem the Brussels sprouts, just quarter. Try to make sure everything is about the same size so they cook evenly.
3. Increase temperature to medium-high heat, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. You want the edges to brown so don’t stir constantly. After 15 minutes, cover and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. This essentially steams the veggies for the last few minutes.
4. Bro-hack tip: add the eggs, egg whites, and Parmigiano-Reggiano to a blender bottle. Yes, that protein shaker cup with the whisk ball in it. Shake it like a shake weight (the new Polaroid picture), and pour over the veggies.
5. Season with salt and pepper, and scramble the eggs. Serve with hot sauce for an extra kick! Makes 2 large servings.

Nutritional Information & Macros

Dietary Information: Paleo, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free  

Macros per serving

• 424 calories
• 21g fat
• 31g carbs
• 36g protein

READ MORE: 

How Many Eggs are Safe to Eat? 

Reinventing Healthy Breakfast: Eggs on the Go

Upgrade Your Meal Prep and Eat Healthier in Less Time

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post What To Eat For Breakfast To Fill You Up appeared first on Born Fitness.

It started in graduate school when low funds made it necessary to survive on a diet that consisted of eggs. Lots and lots of eggs. How many? If we’re being honest, I ate 144 eggs every 2 weeks. Costco was my best friend, and I even had a period of time when I considered purchasing a hen to lay eggs.

The most common question during that time (besides, “Gross!” and “Are you out of your mind?”) was, “Isn’t that unhealthy?”

By all signs my extreme egg consumption did no harm. (Read: my cholesterol was very healthy.)

Still, the distrust of eggs as a “health food” left me with one option: Eat eggs every day and measure everything from a health perspective. The results was “The Great Eggsperiment,” which I conducted while I was editorial director of LIVESTRONG.COM. What I learned is valuable when you try to decide, “How many eggs should I eat each day.” As I look back, I decided to recap what I learned and provide some new thoughts. -AB

Understanding The Great Eggsperiment

I began the Eggsperiment with one simple goal: To find out if eggs were healthy.

While the parameters of my experiment are far from the strict standards of anything that would ever be published in a scientific journal, this was my own (affordable) method of investigating the impact of consistent egg consumption on my diet.

Along the way I tried to examine a variety of factors, some as subjective as “How do I feel today?” I kept a journal to log if I was ever tired or lacking energy, I tracked my workouts, checked my body weight, and all along I made sure to keep three things consistent:

1. I ate 3 eggs every day during the entire process (whole eggs, that is, including the yolk)
2. I followed the same caloric input and macro-nutrient profile for the entire process. It was the same diet that I followed for a month prior to the diet to establish some sort of baseline. In the month prior, my weight did not fluctuate, as the goal was to eat for maintenance.
3. I used the same training approach during the Eggsperiment–and did not deviate from the type of plan that was used a month prior.

And while lifestyle factors were great (wasn’t tired, felt good), I really wanted to assess the bigger picture; the questions that people always ask: Do eggs hurt your cholesterol and make you fat?

The Starting Point

When I went to my doctor for my initial blood work, this was my starting point:

Weight: 175

Total cholesterol: 132

HDL (the good stuff): 56

LDL (the bad stuff): 66

Triglycerides: 30

Body Fat: 13% (This was a small wake up call. I prefer to be around 10% year round.)

The End Result

Weight: 175

Total cholesterol: 133

HDL (the good stuff): 59

LDL (the bad stuff): 64

Triglyercides: 30

Body Fat: 12%

Are Eggs Bad for Cholesterol?

Before we try and decipher these numbers, let’s remember that a number of factors can influence results. By no means should this be a situation where you look at the bottom line and think: “If I eat 3 eggs per day, I’ll have the same results.”

The biggest confounding variable is that I started out healthy. This, undoubtedly, will influence any type of diet experiment (or eggsperiment) that I conduct on myself.

With that said, my good cholesterol (HDL) went up, bad cholesterol (LDL) went down, body weight stayed the same as my body fat decreased slightly. Some people might look and think, “But your total cholesterol went up.”

Maybe if I had much higher cholesterol, this would be an issue. Anything less than 200 ml/dL is considered very healthy. And again, the changes were positive–more of the good stuff and less of the bad. All of this occurred in a little more than 3 months of work.

So why do some many people associated eggs with high cholesterol? Really it’s just a big misunderstanding because eggs don’t raise cholesterol the way you think. There’s a pretty substantial amount of research suggesting cholesterol benefits of eating eggs, (see here, and here, and here), thus making it harder to believe that A) eggs are bad for cholesterol (unless specific genetic factors identified in your own body by a doctor) or B) that they cause heart problems.

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Should I Eat the Yolk?

Yes…and yes. Just in case this was lost in translation, I was eating three whole eggs per day. Not just the whites. And the reason is simple: The yolk is the best part. Both in taste and nutrition.

The yolk is where you find all of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) as well as the majority of zinc, calcium, folate, and memory boosting lecithin. And you can’t forget Vitamin B12, which has been shown to help with fat breakdown.

While the whites still offer protein, it’s only slightly more than 50 percent of the total amount. The yolks are part of what give eggs the highest possible biological value, which is a measure of how well a food suits your body’s protein needs.

If you’re looking for the healthiest way to eat your eggs, your best bet is to keep the yolk. (The exception: Let’s say you’re on a “diet” and are counting macros or keeping fat lower, there’s no problem just eating a bunch of eat whites and saving calories. Sometimes I do it myself, but the reason isn’t to avoid the yolk or for health reasons; it’s to save calories or eat fewer grams of fat per day.)

So…Eggs are Healthy?

Eating eggs didn’t have any harmful effects on my health. And as I charted over the course of the program, I experienced a boost in strength and learned about the various benefits of eggs, leading me to consider them one of the healthiest foods in the world. (Big caveat: if you’re allergic or sensitive to eggs, please don’t eat them. Read that line again and remember that as personal variables are an important consideration for everyone.)

Without a doubt, I’d love to see more research conducted. We can never stop learning and making sure that what we’re putting into our bodies is good and healthy for us.

As always, you’ll want to make sure that you consult with any doctor before beginning a diet. But don’t be afraid to argue or question that age-old fear of fat (specifically saturated) or the idea that eggs are bad.

READ MORE:

Fix Your Diet: Understanding Proteins, Carbs and Fats

Healthy Fat: Which Foods Should You Really Be Eating?

Fast, Easy, Healthy Breakfast: Eggs on the Go

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post How Many Eggs Are Safe to Eat? appeared first on Born Fitness.

Born Fitness Recipes: Jalapeño and Goat Cheese Omelet

Ingredients

• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 avocado
• 2-4 oz. smoked salmon (optional)

Directions

1. Set a boiler to medium-high heat and char the jalapeno, turning it frequently, until it’s blackened and slightly collapsed. Cut out the seeds and slice the pepper into thin strips. (If you really want it spicy, you can keep the seeds in.)
2. Turn the boiler to medium heat and allow the butter to coat the pan.
3. As the butter melts, slice the onions. Then add the onion sliced jalapenos to the base of the pan or skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions start to become soft. Then remove the mixture and let it cool slightly.
4. Beat the eggs and then add to the skillet and heat over medium-low heat.
5. On a separate burner, char the 4 cherry tomatoes on medium-high heat, moving them every 1-2 minutes.
6. As the eggs begin to set around the edges, lift them up with the tip of the spatula and let the egg flow. [If desired, add the smoked salmon now.] Repeat the edge-lifting process until you can’t do so easily any longer. Finally flip the eggs so it’s folded in half, omelet-style. Let it cook for another minute until a light gold brown appears.
7. Plate your omelet, top with the salt and pepper.
8. As the omelet cools, slice up 1/4 of an avocado into small pieces and remove the tomatoes from the burner and slice in half.
9. Add the goat cheese, tomatoes, and avocado over the top. Enjoy.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post Jalapeno and Goat Cheese Omelet appeared first on Born Fitness.