Ok... If you are reading this is because you do want to hear the "why breakfast is good for you" sermon.
Well, you may have read it in the paper, or maybe you've heard it on the radio on your way to work. It's almost a cliche! Almost everybody knows that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day".
If it's so good... how come many people skip breakfast?
People do. There are lots of excuses for not having breakfast, including (but not limited to):
Lack of time
not being a morning person
trying to lose weight
Not finding anything good for breakfast, and
having forgotten to have it
A while ago I used to skip breakfast too.
Later on I would have "whatever", and then a very heavy lunch (depending on how hungry I would be by lunch time).
But when I started paying attention to what I ate (and how and how much), I realised the damage I was causing to my body by skipping the most important meal of the day.
What happens to our bodies when we skip breakfast?
Understanding this question will help you realise "why breakfast is good for you", and hopefully, you'll reconsider making breakfast a must in your everyday life.
For starters, if you skip breakfast you're making it harder for your body to lose weight, and your energy levels will tend to be lower than those of a person who looks after herself.
Why?
Think about it. By the time breakfast is due, your body has not received any food for about 8 hours (a third of your day). Compare this with your "day" hours, when you have 3 (if not more) meals.
It is amazing how, if you are used to skipping breakfast, you condition yourself to feel "ok", but a close examination of your "fasting" mood would reveal that your levels of energy are low. What happens is that your body is rested at the end of a good sleep, but you still need the energy after you wake up.
Your body does not stop just because you go to sleep. It goes on breathing, digesting, pumping up blood everywhere in your body, and moving (amongst many other physiological processes).
It constantly needs fuel (ie food), and even if you're not hungry early in the morning, your body will still need the extra energy contained in a breakfast meal. It makes sense, doesn't it?
But breakfast is more than an energy source. Breakfast is good for you because it:
provides glucose to your brain, making you mentally efficient and alert. You get "the edge" by having breakie (Australian for "breakfast"); ;-) reduces your cholesterol levels (depending on what you eat for breakie, of course!);
gives you vital nutrients and vitamins;
makes you slimmer, by jump-starting your metabolism (how quickly your body burns energy), which is slow after relative inactivity at night. makes you "Mr or Ms Happy". An energized and balanced meal may alter your mode and make you feel better during the day.
What to have for breakfast?
The opposite of skipping breakfast is having the wrong things for breakfast (and possibly too much of it too!).
Every meal is capable of giving you energy. The question is "how long will that energy last for?". This is important to know because that will determine whether you still feel "charged up" till lunch time, or whether you're starving by 10 AM.
Avoid things like chocolate chip muffins and other high sugar meals. The energy levels are high (and they taste deliciuos, I know!) but short-lived, and the residual makes you bigger and heavier. So, these foods are a no-no.
Fresh fruits and cereals, are a healthier choice, but you have to be mindful of the sugar contained in cereals. Some of them can have enough sugar a whole family in one single serving!
But what if you're not "a breakfast person?"
There is no such a thing as a "breakfast person".
If you need to do something for your health, you do it, and you can condition yourself to make having breakfast part of your life and take pleasure on it.
But I've got a couple of tips that can help you in your transition to having breakfast:
Know "why" breakfast is important. Reading this article was a good start; ;-)
Buy fruits and cereal (but mind the amount of sugar that some cereals contain);
Check out my (ahem... )delicious low fat breakfast recipes and try some (you'll like them, I promise);
plan your meals. Planning ahead to have interesting and tasty meals for breakfast will help you enjoy it;
If you don't have the time to prepare breakie (you don't have 5 minutes for yourself!?), you may choose a good low fat fast food outlet and be good and have a low-fat-low-sugar-meal.
But whatever you do... do have breakfast!
... it's good for you! ;-)
Have a great day!
Jeff Rosales is "The Skinny Chef", the editor of delicious low fat breakfast recipes a growing collection of delicious low fat recipes, weight loss and healthy eating articles, interviews and product reviews. Jeff's recipes are so delicious... you won't believe they're good for you!
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareCellulite is a recent addition to the English language. In... Read More
Body Mass Index (bmi) A Misleading measure of ObesityMany professionals... Read More
America loves fast food. Last year, consumers spent billions of... Read More
Using healthy low carb recipes are an important part of... Read More
"The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of... Read More
Franchised Business Models and American Diets could be at odds.... Read More
If you are trying to lose weight, the holidays literally... Read More
The story broke in the international press on October 4th,... Read More
Causes of ObesityJust like there is no weight loss pill... Read More
Gastric-bypass surgery is only the first step many morbidly obese... Read More
Are you a 'look-and-lose' dieter? Have you studied every diet... Read More
Recently, I was reading about a diet plan where you... Read More
Frankie saddled up to the bar at the We-Stuff-Em-All Diner,... Read More
We know that children are becoming obese at an alarming... Read More
More and more people are starting to recognize that they... Read More
This is a layman marketer's observations on diets and weight... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
Looking to lose some pounds quickly? Fast and safe weight... Read More
Everyone who has ever been on a diet has hit... Read More
It's calorie-free, inexpensive and easily obtained - yet few people... Read More
What's a Low Carb Diet Really Mean?When I hear low... Read More
"How do I lose 5 kg or 30 kg?""How do... Read More
If you're trying lose weight, maintain your weight, or sculpt... Read More
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or... Read More
The South Beach Diet works, for most people. Its low... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..The only way you will ever follow through on an... Read More
Food cravings are crafty -- they appear from nowhere and... Read More
The scourge of obesity has reached such gigantic proportions across... Read More
Just about every one of us struggles with our weight... Read More
Exercising too hardThis is probably the most common mistake. As... Read More
Liposuction is also referred to as lipoplasty, suction-assisted lipectomy and... Read More
If you're trying lose weight, maintain your weight, or sculpt... Read More
Chances are if you've stepped foot in a gym or... Read More
Natural Weight Loss Is PermanentOnly natural weight loss can be... Read More
Today obesity, diabetes, and heart disease run through us at... Read More
You have finally decided to tackle weight management and lose... Read More
Here come the candy canes. In our house, Santa always... Read More
More likely than not a diet with end up a... Read More
This is a layman marketer's observations on diets and weight... Read More
As a Master swimmer I am made painfully aware, each... Read More
Are you just exploding with the presence of light all... Read More
Let me tell you something - if you are doing... Read More
Yes it's true- and so unfair. As we get older... Read More
Low carb diets can be classified as food plans that... Read More
A few months ago, I set out to lose 22.6... Read More
Getting started on an exercise program is one thing. Staying... Read More
Obesity in America is at an epidemic level. It is... Read More
Be Prepared. For the Boy Scouts it means you are... Read More
It seems everyone is looking for that magic bullet -... Read More
Food cravings can be triggered by various things including low... Read More
Weight Loss |