This Is What a Molecular Biologist and Fitness Model Eats For Breakfast
Long days modeling for Reebok and late nights in the lab at Harvard call for one big breakfast.
We don’t need to tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In this series, we’re asking top doctors, fitness pros, and dietitians for a sneak peek into their kitchens, so we can see what’s on their breakfast tables.
Image provided.
Claim to fame:
Between being a full-time scientist working on postdoctoral research in Beth Stevens’ lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and a part-time model for companies like Athleta, Reebok, Powerade, L.L. Bean, New Balance, Shape Magazine, and more—Daisy Robinton, PhD, has her plate full (figuratively and quite literally).
Her current research focuses on neurodevelopment, cellular identity, and the cell-to-cell interactions that contribute to neurodegenerative diseases—basically, she’s super smart. She’s appeared on comedian Craig Ferguson’s web series Couple Thinkers, where she discussed science and aging and gave a TedX talk about engineering the end of aging. To stay in tip-top shape and remain stress-free, she enjoys CrossFit workouts and yoga.
What She Ate:
For breakfast, Robinton typically eats slow-scrambled eggs with caramelized onions and peppers. She says she tries to get in a good protein source and carbs to support her fitness endeavors. “My high-intensity training causes me to burn a lot of calories,” she says. “Replenishing those with nutrient-dense proteins, fats, and carbs for energy is important.” As a carb source, she loads up whole wheat toast with slices of avocado (hello, healthy fats!) seasoned with a little salt and pepper. She will often have an Americano or iced coffee, depending on the season, but not every day.
Why She Chose It:
“I think of nutrition as fuel,” Robinton says. “I don’t want to put garbage, like high-processed foods, into my body, because I want to maintain my body as a high-performance machine. For me, breakfast is a critical part of my day. If I don’t eat within two hours of waking up I can tell that my energy is low.”
She says her fitness goal is to maintain a healthy body and mind, which gives her flexibility in her fitness and nutrition regimen, but that she always tries to move when she can and get quality food into her system. Without it, she says her energy is off, she doesn’t sleep as well, and she’s more anxious throughout the day.
“I think it’s important to make sure your body has fuel for its best performance,” she says. “My advice would be to eat something—so many people don’t eat breakfast—that will give you long-lasting energy throughout the day.”
