Breakfast for a weight lifter -- need ideas

[sirkinm]

I've been lifting weights and making a lot of progress. I've been on a program detailed in Chad Waterbury's (of T-nation.com reknown) book, "Huge in a Hurry." I'd like ideas for breakfast that don't include egg white omlettes (yuck). Eggs are OK, though I like to keep the yoke. ANother poster mentioned that he incorporates raw eggs into his shake, and I'd like to try that if I build up the courage.

Currently I make a big morning smoothie with a lot of fruit, some oatmeal, and protein powder. I also take a couple omega 3 capsuls. I usually need more carbohydrate, so I'll eat a little something else that's relatively healthy. I'd rather get my protein from real food instead of powder -- I'd rather get the thermic effect of eating real food that digests at a normal rate (I hear protein powder digest very quickly because it's so processed), plus all the additional nutrition it provides.

But I want to be sure to get enough protein -- I've noticed a huge difference in the past between when I consumed additional protein and when I continued with my normal diet. I don't like to eat an excessive amount of meat, but some is OK.

To give you an idea of me, I'm about 168 and 5'11", with a normal build. I'm not a hard gainer who can eat whatever he wants -- if I ate excessively, I'd get chunky .

[The Cloud]

Originally Posted by sirkinm

Eggs are OK, though I like to keep the yoke. ANother poster mentioned that he incorporates raw eggs into his shake, and I'd like to try that if I build up the courage.

Be careful with that. Besides the risk of Salmonella, egg whites contain a protein that prevents the absorption of biotin. This is pretty much the only way for somebody that eats meat to get a biotin deficiency, so make sure you read up on how to avoid that problem if you do start eating raw egg whites.

[runningbird]

The risk of salmonella is small:

from: Raw eggs for health

"The risk of salmonella infection is usually only present in traditionally raised commercial hens. If one purchases ones eggs from healthy chickens, the risk of infection is dramatically reduced. It's important to note that only sick chickens lay salmonella-contaminated eggs. If you purchase high quality, cage-free, organically fed, chicken eggs, the risks are dramatically reduced.

If one looks at studies which have been done to analyse the risks of contracting salmonella from raw eggs, it is surprising to find out how low this risk actually is. A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2002 (Risk Analysis April 2002 22(2):203-18) indicates that only 2.3 million, out of the 69 billion eggs produced annually, are contaminated with salmonella.

So this really means that only 0.003 % of eggs are infected. Viewed another way, only 1 in every 30,000 eggs is contaminated with salmonella, which shows how uncommon this problem actually is.

Based on those numbers, the average person would come across a contaminated egg only once in 42 years."

I sometimes put raw eggs in my smoothies and it tastes completely fine to me. I use one or two. I have also tried them straight out of the shell, and would not recommend it. People say it tastes like vanilla but it just makes me gag.

[WhiteCrow]

T-nation rocks! Just had to say that....

Why not eat scrambled eggs for breakfast? Just make sure you eat it quickly after you made it, because if the cholestrol of the eggs is exposed to air, it will be bad for you. New research showed that cholestrol itself is not bad for you, but the oxidation of cholestrol is.

I would not go with raw eggs though, as there is an indication that cooking egg protein enhances its availability.

Or you can try things like tuna, which is my breakfast staple

[sirkinm]

Originally Posted by WhiteCrow

T-nation rocks! Just had to say that....

Why not eat scrambled eggs for breakfast? Just make sure you eat it quickly after you made it, because if the cholestrol of the eggs is exposed to air, it will be bad for you. New research showed that cholestrol itself is not bad for you, but the oxidation of cholestrol is.

I would not go with raw eggs though, as there is an indication that cooking egg protein enhances its availability.

Or you can try things like tuna, which is my breakfast staple

I just got a tuna sandwich for b-fast. Yes, I agree, T-nation is great. They really push their supplements, but you gotta expect that. Thanks for the tip about he eggs -- I've never head that about the exposure to air thing.

[StephanieShine]

I Love t-nation! And if your reading a book by chad waterbury then you probably have more information than the people here (no offense to anyone here.) T nation has their own forums and the extrememly active bodybuilding . com forums are great too.

[Angela]

My favorite pre-workout breakie:

Oatmeal with blueberries added halfway through the cooking, pour over a smooshed-up banana and mix in so the banana heats up a little.

Two hard-cooked eggwhites, eaten separately from the oatmeal (not mixed in --- blechh!)

Two eight ounce glasses of water