Easy and Balanced Breakfasts to Keep You Warm and Energized
January 23, 2025
What we crave for meals and snacks can often change as the seasons change. You may find that you crave meals loaded with fresh fruits and veggies in the summer months but gravitate towards hearty meals during the colder months. This food consumption pattern is very much influenced by evolution and food availability in the past. Back in the day, not all foods were available year round like they are now in Western society (1).
If you’re a runner and plan to continue to run through the winter months you might want to switch up your pre-run meals based on what’s in season and the foods that your body is craving. It’s important to note that even if you switch up what you’re eating, you’re still eating balanced meals that support your nutritional and performance needs.
The best pre-run meals consist of a healthy balance of carbs, fats, and protein. Sports nutritionists recommend consuming 8-12 grams of protein in your pre-run meal as well as a serving of carbs and healthy fats. You should also aim to consume this about two hours before your run. This combination helps your body to maximize the use of the macronutrients you are ingesting and get the most out of your workout (2).
There are a lot of ways that you can create your favorite pre-run meal to eat this winter with this balance of macros and your seasonal cravings in mind. Here are three of our recipes to take for a spin:.
Sticky Bun Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great pre-run meal and takes very little time to prepare the morning of or can be prepared ahead of time and eaten cold or reheated prior to your workout. Sticky bun oatmeal is just as tasty as it sounds without throwing you macros out the window.. For this meal, you will need ½ cup of old-fashioned oats, salt, cinnamon, real maple syrup, milk of choice, nut butter, and roasted pecans. While you cook the oatmeal as directed on the package, add 2 tablespoons of real maple syrup, 1 tablespoon nut butter, a pinch of salt, ⅛ cup of finely chopped pecans, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon to a small saucepan. Cook this mixture on low heat for 2-3 minutes until sticky and aromatic. Once your oats are cooked to perfection add to a serving bowl and spoon the sticky bun mixture over the oatmeal. The combination of oats with nuts and nut butter will provide the perfect balance of fuel for your run. Want some extra protein? Dabble with our whey protein flavors.
Spiced Sweet Potato Bowl
Public service announcement: breakfast doesn’t have to consist of “traditional” breakfast ingredients. Fall and winter often bring thoughts of things like sweet potato casserole and pie. Sweet potatoes are full of nutrients and tasty any time of the day. For this meal, you will need about a cup of cooked sweet potato diced into small pieces, ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, a pinch of salt, ¼ cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, ¼ cup of granola, and 1 tablespoon of roasted pepitas. Start by adding the sweet potato to your serving dish and sprinkling with the salt and pumpkin pie spice. You can eat this cold or warm depending on preference, though it is wise to fuel with warm foods to keep your digestive tract and organs performing optimally. Spoon the Greek yogurt on top of the sweet potato and then sprinkle with a granola of your choice and the roasted pepitas. This meal has a great balance of textures and macros and is slightly reminiscent of sweet potato casserole when eaten warm.
Apple Pie Bagel
This tasty bagel is pretty much as straightforward as it sounds. You will need either a plain or cinnamon raisin bagel, 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter of your choice, half an apple thinly sliced, a sprinkle of salt, 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup, and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. While your bagel is toasting, slice the apple and lay it out on a microwave-safe plate. First, drizzle the maple syrup over the apples. Then sprinkle the apple slices with salt and cinnamon and microwave for 15-30 seconds, just enough to soften them slightly. Once your bagel is toasted and your apples are warm and soft, slather each half of your bagel with the nut butter and top with the apple slices.
Don’t hit the pavement without a fueled body. Give these a try before your next chilly morning run.
Works Cited
-
Explaining seasonal patterns of food consumption. (International journal of gastronomy and food science, 2021)
-
What should I eat before exercise? Pre-exercise nutrition and the response to endurance exercise: current perspective and future directions. (Nutrients, 2020)