About Kelly Brogan

KELLY BROGAN, MD, is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book, A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression.

read more

This post first appeared on FearlessParent.com

If breast milk is the only food we can accept (hopefully) as a template for human consumption, then we must put the much maligned saturated fat in its rightful place.

At the Center of the Meal

I, for one, am certain that millions of years of evolution did not result in a faulty energy storage system that mistakenly uses fats as energy when it should be using glucose.

When my patients complain of sugar-driven mood and anxiety fluctuations, depression, insomnia, and low libido, I know that I need to support their brain, hormone, and metabolic functioning with an aggressive infusion of fat.

Lest you remain under the spell of big food, know that a meta analysis as recent as March 2014 echoes previous data in demonstrating that high consumption of saturated fat does not increase risk of coronary artery disease, and there has never been a study linking eggs to heart attacks (quite the contrary).

Changing up breakfast with the ultimate goal of intermittent fasting is often the most powerful intervention I make for my patients.

For Starters – Stop Eating Cereal

Recent reports including one by Cornucopia Institute have exposed the dirty secrets behind marketing of “natural” cereals such as Kashi, loaded with genetically modified ingredients and associated herbicides/pesticides. Most of these cereals also contain gluten, dyes, industry secret flavor enhancers, and sugars of myriad varieties. The effect on your body is a set up for supranormal hunger-inducing stimulation, insulin-spiking, and cognitive clouding within an hour or two.

Eat Real Food

If you can shake the cultural conditioning of needing to eat a “breakfast” food, and instead just consume regular food – greens, some fish, broth, etc upon rising — your options will expand exponentially. If you feel like you’d like something that reminds you of dessert, read on.

My latest breakfast choice combines some simple super foods, and keeps me full well into the afternoon.

Here are some of the power players:

Gelatin/Collagen Hydrosylate

Because our diets are heavily focused on muscle meat consumption, we lose out on the benefits of consuming bones, skin, and tendons as was ancestral practice. Traditional bone broths are used in gut healing protocols such as the GAPS diet for mucosal repair, while the high glycine content of gelatin may help with insomnia, anxiety, joints, hair, and skin.

Coconut Oil

A primary source of traditional fat throughout the tropics, coconut oil has a unique profile in its saturated fat content – specifically medium chain triglycerides.  These fats don’t require pancreatic enzymes for digestion and are immediately available for energy. Studied for cognition, lipid balance, immune support, and metabolism, this food is a must for transitioning to a fat burning metabolism for mind and body.

Ghee

Grass-fed butter clarified of lactose and casein, ghee is a powerful source of unique fats such as butyrate and CLA, and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K. Saturated fats such as butyrate can be used for energy, support gut cell integrity, and even have remote anti-inflammatory effects on the brain. According to Aruveydic tradition, ghee has healing properties distinct from butter and that are not captured by this analysis of its macro and micronutrients.

The KB Smoothie

  • Half a cup of frozen organic cherries (or other berries)
  • 8 oz of fermented coconut water, coconut water, or filtered water
  • 3 tablespoons of collagen hydrolysate as a protein base
  • One tablespoon of sprouted nut butter or sunbutter
  • 3 pastured egg yolks
  • One tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons of ghee
  • 1-2 tablespoons of raw cocoa powder
  • Blend!

Go from ‘hangry’ to peaceful one meal revolution at a time.

Interested in step-by-step support to help you optimize your health?

Vital Life Project is a community for like-minded wellness seekers in search of a better way to live with vitality in a world that can make it challenging to move toward this goal. This monthly membership provides guidance and accountability to help you make small changes in mindset and daily routine that can lead to radical shifts in health reclamation. Click below to learn more.

‍