Breakfast
Tuesday 3 February 2009
Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?
Why bother?
Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you don’t have breakfast you are likely to become tired more quickly - when your brain and body run low on fuel.
Eating breakfast can help give you a mental boost as well as a physical one and people who eat breakfast are often more active!
Studies have also shown that if you eat breakfast you are more likely to perform better at school or at college.
Is breakfast anything like this round your place?
Weight
Often teenagers, especially girls, might not eat breakfast because they are worried about putting on weight. However scientists have proven that those that don’t eat breakfast are likely to put more weight on!
If you don't eat breakfast, by mid morning you will need to refuel. This probably means eating sweets or quick fix snacks.
This might work for a few minutes, but by the time lunch time comes you may need to do the same again. Therefore when you miss breakfast you are more likely to eat things that are not good for you or snack a lot in order to get the energy you need to see you through the day, and this means weight gain.
It’s a fact that people who eat breakfast, rather than skip it are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
Good morning
So what’s a good breakfast?
A healthy breakfast should contain some protein and some fibre. Protein can come from low fat meats, eggs, beans or dairy. Fibre can be found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
A good example of a healthy breakfast might be something simple like a hardboiled egg, an orange, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk.
Stay away from the sugary cereals, syrups, pastries, and white breads because they are digested quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in a couple of hours.
Fast brekkie
If you really don’t like breakfast why not give it a go for a week and see if it makes any difference to your mood or levels of energy throughout the day? Try getting up 10 minutes earlier to make sure you have enough time.
Start small
If you usually skip breakfast because you are not hungry in the morning why not start really small and if you want, stay small.
Easy ideas
If you can’t be bothered with making eggs or toast in the morning why not try these ideas for a fast breakfast?
- High fiber low sugar cereal
- Yogurt with fresh fruit
- Smoothie: Try berries, yogurt, flaxseeds and cinnamon all mixed with water or milk
- Oatmeal with berries, raisins and cinnamon
- Woke up too late? Grab a banana, apple, orange or some dry cereal.
