Your parents told you this when you were growing up. You continue to hear it as an adult. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even though we have been told this for many years, many people tend to not follow this advice.
Why not? Many people skip breakfast thinking it will reduce their total calorie intake for the day. This may seem to be the case but being over hungry when lunch time finally rolls around, you may tend to overeat. Also, a long period of fasting from supper until noon the following day, will cause your metabolism to slow down substantially. When you finally give your body some nutrients, your metabolism can't cope with the sudden calorie load and many of those calories may end up being stored as fat.
So, why should you eat breakfast? Studies have shown our fat burning processes are most active in the morning when we kick start our metabolism by eating breakfast. Also, eating breakfast will give you an instant energy start for the day. People who eat breakfast have a better attention span, are better focused and are more productive.
The key is to choose the right things for breakfast. You will definitely want to avoid fatty meat sandwiches and refined sugar carbohydrates. These are things like pastries and baking items made with table sugar and white flour. Many people enjoy coffee in the morning, which is fine (within reason), but combining caffeine with a high sugar breakfast will give you a blood sugar spike. This will have you feeling energized initially but soon your pancreas will kick in and produce insulin to bring your sugar levels back to normal levels. This will leave you feeling tired and hungry again. If you choose the right breakfast foods, you will feel satisfied all morning while avoiding major ups and downs with your blood sugar levels.
Some great breakfast food choices are whole grains, fruits or vegetables and dairy products like milk or yogurt. Whole grains and fibre rich foods take longer for your body to digest creating a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time. Eggs, nuts or oatmeal are excellent sources of protein in the morning. Protein is especially important if you are a morning exerciser. Your muscles will need a boost of protein after your workout.
Many studies have been completed on people who eat breakfast versus those who don't. People who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight and are much more likely to maintain a healthy body weight. They are also less likely to eat poorly throughout the rest of the day. A healthy breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. Besides that, breakfast foods are delicious! Try something new today!
Say it! Mean it! Do it!
