So here is the deal: I'm 29, healthy (work out an hour a day, 6' 180lbs), but I have NASH (http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/nash/) so I try to avoid lots of fat in my diet. This has presented a big problem when it comes to having something healthy AND fulfilling for breakfast due to my schedule and commute.
Traditionally I would have McDonalds for breakfast pretty much every day. This means a meal of:
- 960 calories
- 34 grams of fat (12 saturated)
- 1390mg of sodium
- 15 grams of protein
Why would I eat this? Well, it's hard to bring fresh food on an hour and half morning commute, I can't eat on the train (nor while driving), and I'm unable to eat when I first wake up. Even if I could eat when I first woke up I'd still have to eat a breakfast at work as I'd be starving again by 9am (I get up at 5:30am). That meal above keeps me full until noon or later.
I'm unsure of what to replace it with. I tried replacing it with "bagelthins" and peanut butter. The gist is two thin bagels (they're about 1/3 the thickness of a full bagel (Link)) of whole-wheat + 2tbs of natural peanut butter per bagel. This means:
- 600 calories
- 34 grams of fat (7 saturated)
- 100mg of sodium
- 14 grams of protein
- 10 grams of fiber from the bagels, 5g each
I realize that the fats in peanut butter are far healthier than the deep-friend hashbrown and sausage McGriddle but it's not far off from the McDonalds breakfast I'm already eating. It keeps me as full, so I know I want to target that range of protein and fiber, but I can't find anything that contains nearly that much of both without the fat. Turkey bacon? No. Tofu breakfast sausages and such? Same (and saltier). Cereal? Doesn't fill me up and contains a crapload of sugar. Oatmeal? High on the fiber but so low on the protein that unless I eat 600+ calories of the stuff, which contains over 50g of sugar, it doesn't fill me up in the morning either.
Anyone have any ideas? Or, do you think the PB & bagel is the right choice to make, especially with the rest of my diet being so low-fat?