My morning routine involves making a half a pot of coffee.

 

While the coffee is brewing, I pick up my cat Violet and we play a game to see who can spot a squirrel

the fastest.

Trees in my yard are loaded with squirrels.

Violet jerks her head as soon as she spots one (and sometimes makes weird chirping sounds).

It's fun to watch.

Anyway...

After grabbing a cup of coffee this morning I was doing a bit of fitness research and found this study

(Nov 2018) being referenced.

"Consumption of a dark roast coffee blend reduces DNA damage in humans: results from a 4-week randomized controlled study."

Drinking coffee while reading about coffee benefits.

Kind of trippy.

The study found a 23% reduction in DNA damage compared to the control group which didn't drink coffee.

I start my day with coffee.

Then...

I wait until I am hungry make a bowl of oatmeal.

Why oatmeal?

We are now finding out that high fiber foods positively affects DNA to slow down aging.

A recent study (March 2018) found that adults with high fiber intake had longer telomeres than their counterparts.

Dietary Fiber and Telomere Length in 5674 U.S. Adults: An NHANES Study of Biological Aging

“A difference of 4.8 to 6.0 years in cell aging was found between those in the lowest compared with the highest quartiles of fiberintake. Overall, the present study highlights the risk of accelerated aging among U.S. women and men who do not consume adequate amounts of dietary fiber.”

I know low carb and low fiber diets are trendy right now.

But..

The longest living populations like Okinawa, Japan eat a starchy high fiber diet.

My program course goes against the current trend.

In the 80's people sort-of tried low fat.

But...

They didn't reduce fat enough.

When fats get reduced enough and carbs increased, the body begins to shed unwanted fat without much effort on your part.

 

I used to start my day with a protein shake.

I still like protein shakes, but think they are more beneficial after a workout.

After doing extensive research...

I'm convinced that a combo of water, coffee and a high fiber breakfast is the way to go.

If you are the type that likes to do Intermittent fasting and skip breakfast?

I would possibly recommend a little bit of nonfat yogurt to go along with the oatmeal just to get a bit of protein since you haven't eaten for a long time.