You need to eat a healthy breakfast every day. Here’s why
You need to eat a healthy breakfast every day. Here’s why
Maybe you just don’t feel hungry when you first wake up, you’re trying to cut back on calories, or mornings are already too hectic to take the time to fix something to eat. Whatever your excuse for skipping breakfast, you’re missing out on a lot of valuable health benefits.
Numerous studies prove and experts agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here are a few reasons why.
Weight Control
Anyone trying to lose weight by skipping breakfast is making a big mistake. Think about this: people who eat breakfast weigh less than those who don’t. Why is this? Eating breakfast kicks your metabolism into gear for the rest of the day. Skimping on calories tells your body to hold tight to whatever calories it does get instead of burning them. This spells sabotage for your diet.
Not eating breakfast also makes you hungrier the rest of the day. When lunch finally rolls around, you stuff your face. For snacks, you don’t think about good health. You grab whatever’s most convenient.
In other words, a healthy breakfast sets the tone for your diet the rest of the day. Someone who eats a healthy breakfast is more likely to make healthy food choices for snacks, lunch, and dinner.
Energy
Wonder why you feel dragged out and sluggish all morning? Chances are it’s because you didn’t fuel up with breakfast. Going more than 12 hours without food means your muscles begin to be depleted of glycogen for energy. Without energy, you’re at risk for fatigue, depression, weight gain, and a lower quality of life.
Nutrition
Your body requires a certain amount of calories, vitamins, minerals, fiber, fat, carbohydrates, and protein to function. It’s a lot easier to get all the required nutrients when they’re divided between three meals and a couple snacks. Without breakfast, you’re putting a lot of pressure on the other meals you eat and putting yourself at risk for deficiencies of fiber, calcium, and other valuable vitamins and minerals.
Memory
One reason why breakfast is so important is the effect it has on your ability to focus, problem-solve, and retain information. Kids who eat breakfast perform better on tests and schoolwork. Adults are more productive and alert throughout the day. Your mind needs nutrients to function. When your stomach’s growling it’s hard to concentrate, you feel weak, and you’re irritable. This could lead to poor performance even put you in harm’s way.
Health Risks
Studies show a clear connection between eating breakfast and your health. People who skip breakfast are at a higher risk for developing high cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and type 2 diabetes. Eat early every day and have more days to enjoy.
What to Eat?
Now that you’re convinced you need to eat breakfast, what should you eat? To get the greatest benefit out of breakfast you need to focus on two things: fiber and protein. These nutrients provide long-lasting energy and fullness all morning long.
Examples of fiber-rich foods to eat at breakfast include oatmeal, whole-grain cereals, fruit, or toast made with whole grains. To get protein first thing in the morning, eat a breakfast that includes items like milk, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, eggs, a protein bar, or lean breakfast meats.
Breakfast doesn’t have to take long to prepare and you don’t have to sit down at the table to fill up. It only takes a couple minutes to make a bowl of oatmeal, a smoothie with frozen fruit and yogurt, or some scrambled eggs. Keep a stash of nutritious protein bars, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, or yogurt cups on hand for when you’re in a rush. But whatever you do, don’t fast from breakfast!
