Whole30, an AIP spin on the paleo diet, or a traditional paleo diet. Chances are you’re familiar with the best paleo breakfast ideas: Eggs. Bacon. Maybe a hash involving sweet potatoes or sausage. But you’ve somehow lost your appetite for breakfast.

In our experience, there are a couple reasons why this happens.

For starters, little to no appetite for protein-heavy breakfast foods may have something to do with your biochemistry and how much sleep you’ve been getting. Or, it may simply come down to your preferences and a lull in inspiration. Some folks feel perfectly happy eating the same thing every morning. Whereas others crave new flavors.

If your paleo breakfast ideas fall flat, here are a couple tips to rekindle your interest in a morning meal.

Boost your digestive fire with plenty of rest

Unless you pile your plate with veggies, the paleo diet has a tendency to run meat and protein heavy. Especially for breakfast when eggs, bacon, and sausage are typical breakfast eats. This small detail is important to note because protein requires stomach acid to activate the enzymes that break it down.

And your sleep patterns – or rather, your circadian rhythm – can impact how much stomach acid you make and possibly how well you digest protein in the morning.

It’s like this: Your body runs on a circadian clock that’s about 24 hours long. And because of this internal clock, your digestive prowess has peaks and valleys.

These peaks and valleys depend on external cues. For example, long after the sun sets, are you staring at a screen glowing with blue light? Are you snacking at night? Or eating a late dinner?

If you answer “yes” to any of the questions, then your system of internal clocks may be a little haywire without clear peaks and valleys. The ebb and flow of hormones, immune signals, and even microbes may look wild and jagged, without a clear arc and slope.

You see, your body gets outside cues from food and light. Blue screen light mimics daylight and because of this, it gets in the way of sleepy hormones dusting your lids with dreamtime magic (AKA melatonin). Blue light aside, eating late at night can also disrupt your circadian rhythm and your metabolism. According to researchers at University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine, circadian static will not only impact the production of stomach acid, it will also interfere with your desire for food in the morning.

The fix?

Try reducing blue light from your phone and other devices by turning on Night Shift or installing apps that block blue light. Make your last meal of the day earlier, rather than later. And skip the midnight snack.

Find recipes you like

For folks who find repetitive meals lackluster, you may have lost your appetite for a paleo breakfast because you feel tired of eating the same thing every day. Let’s face it: Food restrictions can make one feel like options are limited.

Until you realize they aren’t.

Food bloggers have made it their job to develop recipes that taste so delicious, you forget about bagels covered with a thick layer of cream cheese or frosted cereal swimming in 2% milk. The trick is a few good recipes that don’t intimidate you. It also helps to get in the habit of using an assortment of spices and sauces that can transform your food.

Challenge yourself to experiment in the kitchen and try new foods.

Following new recipes will teach you cooking techniques, different food combinations, and how to use specific spices. The Real Plans meal planning app makes this easy by doing it all for you. Your only job is to shop for the ingredients and put them together.

Some paleo breakfast ideas you can try tomorrow morning:

Fennel Leek Soup (AIP)
Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos (DF & GF)
Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage (AIP)
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Coconut Carrot Granola (AIP)