Eating a Paleo Breakfast: How to Get Started

The paleo diet offers numerous health benefits. Often referred to as the “caveman diet,” paleo can help you lose weight, improve your glucose tolerance, manage your appetite, lower your triglycerides, and get better control over your blood pressure.

Following the paleo diet means cutting out a lot of junk and preservatives that don’t serve your body. While there is a wide range of food options on the paleo diet, it can still sometimes be difficult to plan out your meals.

For many people, planning out breakfast can be especially tricky. What should you eat for breakfast on the paleo diet? Read on to discover how to get started with a paleo breakfast.

A Look at the Standard American Breakfast

Before we dive into creating a paleo breakfast, let’s take a look at the standard American breakfast and why it doesn’t work for many people.

While most people might think of the standard American breakfast as eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee, this is far from the reality of what most Americans eat. Research finds that one-quarter of Americans skip breakfast.

And those who do eat breakfast rarely take the time to prepare a well-balanced meal. Rather, most people grab a cup of coffee and a pastry on their way out the door. Other popular American breakfast items include croissants, donuts, bagels and cream cheese, and peanut butter on toast.

The coffee and carb combination that many Americans rely on isn’t the healthiest option. Most of us drink caffeine in the morning to wake us up from a night of inadequate sleep.

Consuming refined carbs gives us a fast sugar high for an extra mood and energy boost. Then, a couple of hours later, we crash and start to feel hungry and tired again. This is when most people turn to unhealthy, sugary snacks to keep them going throughout the day.

One of the best ways to escape this cycle is to switch to a paleo diet.

How Paleo Can Transform Your Breakfast (And Your Day)

While the standard American breakfast causes your blood sugar levels to swing, the paleo diet helps to stabilize your blood sugar levels so you can have long-lasting energy throughout the day.

A balanced paleo breakfast consists of three things: protein, healthy fats, and vegetables/fruit. (You can also drink coffee or tea if you wish.) Here’s why each of these components is important:

Protein

Protein is one of the most important components of the paleo diet. Protein helps you maintain muscle mass when you’re not working out, which is essential for those who work at a desk all day. Protein also helps you:

Build and maintain strong bones
Improve energy levels
Aid in recovery
Balance blood sugar levels

The great thing about the paleo diet is that there is a huge range of protein options to choose from. For breakfast, most paleo dieters stick with eggs. We recommend opting for omega-3 enriched, pasteurized, or free-range eggs.

If eggs aren’t your thing, you still have plenty of protein options to choose from. Good sources of protein include:

Meat such as lamb, chicken, beef, pork, or turkey
Seafood such as salmon, shrimp, shellfish, haddock, or trout (If you can, choose wild-caught)

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, good protein sources include eggs, nuts, and seeds.

Healthy Fats

Healthy fats should also be included in your paleo breakfast. Healthy fats provide your body with energy, support cell growth, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, and prevent abnormal heart rhythms.

They also help lower blood pressure levels and lower bad cholesterol levels while raising good cholesterol levels. Some healthy fats to incorporate on the paleo diet include:

Avocados
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Butter
Tahini
Ghee
Chia seeds
Nuts/nut butter (just make sure the nut butter is made from 100% nuts)

Bacon is also acceptable on the paleo diet, as it can provide a good source of protein and fat. However, you should opt for nitrate-free bacon whenever possible.

Vegetables and Fruit

Fruits and veggies are another very important aspect of the paleo diet. Adding some vegetables to your eggs or meat can be a great way to diversify your breakfast.

Some of the best veggies to stock up on for a paleo breakfast include:

Cauliflower
Broccoli
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Onions
Mushrooms
Spinach
Kale
Zucchini
Squash
Beets
Pumpkin
Radish
Bok choy
Arugula
Brussel sprouts

Fruits make a great addition to your meals when you’re craving something sweet. Some of the best fruits to eat include apples, oranges, berries, bananas, pears, kiwis, peaches, melon, and mulberries.

If you’re looking to shake things up for breakfast, you can make a smoothie using fruit, veggies, 100 percent nut butter, and coconut water. There are also some kinds of nut milk that are paleo-friendly, so you can look into those as well.

Are you looking to make some no-bake healthy candy bars? Check out our recipe!

Herbs and Spices

The best way to make your paleo breakfast taste great is to add in some herbs and spices. Not only do they add flavor to your dishes, but they also come with many anti-inflammatory and nutritional benefits.

Some herbs and spices we recommend adding to your breakfast include:

Turmeric
Basil
Oregano
Cilantro
Chili
Parsley
Chives
Mustard
Leek
Ginger
Garlic

As we mentioned earlier, you can wash your breakfast down with coffee or tea. You can also drink water, kombucha, bone broth, coconut water, and unsweetened sparkling water.

Eating a Paleo Breakfast: Time to Get Started

Nana Joes Granola for best vegan breakfast

As you can see, eating a paleo breakfast is not as hard as some people make it out to be. With the above guide, you should have no trouble whipping up some delicious, nutritious breakfast meals.

Are you looking for more great paleo breakfast options? Check out our paleo sunrise series!