The Goodness of Breakfast
Only 48% of Americans eat breakfast, which means more people are skipping the most important meal of the day. You can blame it on lack of time, a hectic schedule, heavy traffic, and more, but the thing is, skipping breakfast is a terrible idea. You need to start the day with a healthy and hearty meal to prepare you for the rest of the day. If you start the day right, there are more chances that it’ll end right and you’ll get to sleep soundly at night.
Nutritionists and health experts say that breakfast “breaks your overnight fast”. Since you’re asleep at night for 8 hours or more, that means you have no food or water intake for hours. Well, you can exclude those who love having midnight snacks. The point is, sleeping for hours means you were fasting for hours. So when you wake up to go about your daily routine, you must reload first to give you enough energy to last the day.
Experts say that you can skip lunch or dinner but never breakfast. Once you’ve had your early morning fill, you’re completely ready for a whole day’s activities at school or at work. And if you think skipping breakfast is one way to lose weight, think again. Skipping breakfast can actually make you gain more weight. Remember, you were asleep for more than 8 hours the night before, so to leave your body unnourished for another 4 or 5 hours means you’re extremely starving yourself. This can slow down your body’s metabolism drastically.
How? When you starve yourself, your body adjusts by slowing down your metabolism to keep whatever energy is left to burn. And you know what slow metabolism means – a bigger jeans size to fit those bigger hips and thighs. When you skip breakfast and starve yourself, you’re teaching yourself to overeat. Confusing? Okay, think about it. You haven’t eaten since the night before. So by lunch time, you’d be so hungry, you’d be gorging on food, stuffing everything into your mouth without even taking the time to chew them. The end result can be dangerous. Overeating can cause blood sugar fluctuations, bloating, flatulence, and headaches. The repeated cycle of skipping breakfast and overeating during lunch and dinner will result to long term effects like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and even cancer. So whoever thinks or claims skipping breakfast is a great diet regimen needs to snap out of such a misguided notion.
Now you know that breakfast is something that you should never skip and take for granted, you need to know what breakfast foods are good for you. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods like cereals are great for breakfast. According to the National Cancer Institute of America, having high fiber and low fat food or meals for breakfast can reduce risks of cancer. The recommended daily intake of fiber must be between 20 to 30 grams.
Moreover, the fiber you would get from wheat based cereals and whole wheat bread can help improve digestion and help prevent colon cancer. Fiber in vegetables and fruits can help lower down cholesterol, thus giving you a healthier heart. Aside from providing fiber, fruits and vegetables can also keep your skin healthy, giving your skin a more youthful and radiant glow. Thus, a healthy breakfast will make a healthier and more beautiful you.
So the next time you plan to skip breakfast, just think of the goodness it brings. Just grab your favorite cereals, mix in some fruits then pour in some fresh milk – a simple yet healthy breakfast in a bowl that’ll help you last the day.
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