Why is breakfast good for you?

Ok … If you are reading this it is because you want to hear the sermon “why breakfast is good for you”.

Well, you may have read it in the newspaper, or maybe you heard it on the radio on the way to work. It’s almost a cliche! Most everyone knows that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

If it’s that good … how come many people skip breakfast?

People do. There are many excuses for skipping breakfast, including (but not limited to):

Lack of time

not be a morning person

Trying to lose weight

Find nothing good for breakfast and

having forgotten to have it

A while ago I also used to skip breakfast.

Later I would have “whatever”, and then a very heavy lunch (depending on how hungry you would be at lunchtime).

But when I started paying attention to what I was eating (and how and how much), I realized the damage I was doing 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 realize “why breakfast is good for you” and hopefully you will reconsider making breakfast a necessity in your daily life.

For starters, skipping breakfast is making it harder for your body to lose weight, and your energy levels will tend to be lower than a self-care person.

Why?

Think about it. By the time you are due for breakfast, your body has not received any food for about 8 hours (a third of your day). Compare this to your “day” hours, when you have 3 (if not more) meals.

It’s surprising how, if you’re used to skipping breakfast, you condition yourself to feel “good,” but a close examination of your “fasting” mood would reveal that your energy levels are low. What happens is that your body rests at the end of a good sleep, but it still needs the energy after waking up.

Your body doesn’t stop just because you go to sleep. It continues to breathe, digest, pump blood throughout the body, and move (among many other physiological processes).

You constantly need fuel (that is, food), and even if you are not hungry early in the morning, your body will still need the extra energy contained in breakfast. Makes sense right?

But breakfast is more than a source of energy. Breakfast is good for you because:

provides glucose to your brain, making you mentally efficient and alert. You get “the advantage” by taking a breakie (Australian for “breakfast”); 😉
lowers your cholesterol levels (depending on what you eat for breakfast, of course!);

provides you with vital nutrients and vitamins;

It makes you slimmer, by kickstarting your metabolism (how fast your body burns energy), which is slow after relative inactivity at night.
It makes you “Mr. or Mrs. Happy”. An energized and balanced meal can alter your mood 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 too!).

Each meal is capable of giving you energy. The question is “how long will that energy last?” This is important to know because that will determine whether you are still feeling “loaded” until lunchtime or starving at 10 am. M.

Avoid things like chocolate chip muffins and other foods that are high in sugar. The energy levels are high (and they taste delicious, 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 option, but you have to take into account the sugar in cereals. Some of them may have enough sugar for the whole family in one serving!

But what if you’re not a “breakfast person”?

There is no such thing as a “breakfast person.”

If you need to do something for your health, do it and you can condition yourself so that breakfast is part of your life and enjoy it.

But I have a couple of tips that can help you transition to breakfast:

Know “why” breakfast is important. Reading this article was a good start; 😉

Buy fruits and cereals (but be aware of the amount of sugar in some cereals);

Take a look at my (ahem …) delicious low-fat breakfast recipes and try some (you’ll like them, I promise);

plan your meals. Planning ahead for interesting and tasty breakfast meals will help you enjoy it;

If you don’t have time to make the breakie (don’t you have 5 minutes to yourself !?), you can choose a good low-fat fast food joint and be good and have a low-fat, low-sugar meal. .

But whatever you do … have breakfast!

… is good for you! 😉

Have a nice day!