Breakfast? Nah… I’m getting late!
Are you one of those people who skip breakfast to save five minutes rushing to the office?
STOP.
Did you know that people who avoid breakfast have a higher tendency of having high cholesterol and obesity1?
Take breakfast and take the right one. Grabbing a croissant and coffee? Try swapping it with cereal and fresh juice.
Why breakfast?
You spent the whole night without food and now your body needs to replenish its energy sources. It needs fuel – it needs breakfast.
Begin your morning with low glycemic foods and complex carbohydrates as these are the best sources for brain energy. They help you stay focused throughout the day, keep your mood in place, and are especially important for children.2
But I’m following a diet!
There are many people who skip breakfast because they’re trying to lose weight. Not recommended. Research shows that people who skip breakfast gain weight more easily.3 When you’re starving at the beginning of the day, you’re more likely to consume junk food later. There is no point cutting back on a bowl of cereal only to compensate with a bag of chips later.
What’s a healthy breakfast?
Any breakfast that’s low in fat and rich in fiber is good. It should fulfill about 25 percent of your energy requirements. Select breakfast cereals that are high in Vitamin-B and fiber and low in sugar. Have it with milk to get your dose of calcium. You can choose low-fat milk, or replace milk with yogurt for variety.
Add some juice
A great way to start your day is with a fresh fruit smoothie. A smoothie does not take too long to make. Simply blend some fruit and ice together and get a vitamin B boost. If you think it is too time-consuming, take a glass of fruit juice. If you do not have time for freshly squeezed, you can get concentrated juice with vitamin C as well. However, its vitamin content decreases with time so finish the bottle within 3 days of opening it.
Want it cooked?
If you have enough time in the morning, you can try cooking. A poached egg and some beans on toast would make a great start. Add some grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, some lean cut bacon, and a French omelet. There are many options that you can try. You can even cook at night and heat it up in the morning to save time.
No matter what kind of breakfast you like, make sure you make time for it. Skipping it can have adverse effects on your health and mood.
Resources
- Nutrient intake, diet quality, and weight/adiposity parameters in breakfast patterns compared with no breakfast in adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2008. O'Neil CE, Nicklas TA, Fulgoni VL 3rd.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(12 Suppl):S27-43.
- The role of nutrition in children's neurocognitive development, from pregnancy through childhood. Nyaradi A, Li J, Hickling S, Foster J, Oddy WH. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013; 7: 97
- Energy intake at breakfast and weight change: prospective study of 6,764 middle-aged men and women. Purslow LR, Sandhu MS, Forouhi N, et al. Am J Epidemiol. 2008; 167(2): 188-92.