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Mom was right when she said breakfast was the most important meal of the day. This column will discuss the importance of eating a healthy breakfast and why breakfast skippers generally struggle more with excess body fat than do breakfast eaters.
After a night of sleeping your body is literally starving in the morning which lowers your metabolic rate. If you skip breakfast you’re more likely to concentrate less effectively in the late morning, work or study less efficiently, feel irritable and short tempered, or fall short of energy. The worst part about skipping breakfast is that you might tend to overeat at night, which leads to weight gain. Evening is when your metabolic rate is slowing down again for the day, which means calories are less likely to be burned for energy.
Eating a healthy breakfast gives your metabolism a kick-start, meaning it will begin burning calories even at rest! You will also have more energy throughout the day and tend to not crave foods later at night.
Many people say they are not hungry in the morning so they don’t eat breakfast. A poor morning appetite could mean you ate too many calories the night before. It could also mean your body is feeling sluggish because you haven’t given it any fuel yet.
Skipping breakfast does not mean your body will begin to use stored body fat for energy. It only prolongs your body’s state of starvation, keeping your metabolic rate low. If your metabolic rate is low, you are more likely to store the food you do eat later in the day instead of burning it for energy. This is a protective mechanism the human body has learned over time.
If you do not eat breakfast because you can’t seem to find the time, try the following list of creative, quick-fix breakfasts that will provide enough energy to keep you going without causing weight gain:
- Yogurt. Add cereal for crunch.
- Banana. Eat a large one and wash it down with a glass of milk.
- Blender Drink. Whip together juice, fruit and yogurt or dried milk.
- Raisins and Peanuts. Pre-packed in small plastic bags, these are ready to get tucked in your pocket. Wash down with some juice.
- Bran muffin. Spread on some jam.
- Bagel. Spread it with low-fat cream cheese or peanut butter, drink with a can of V-8 or orange juice.
- Graham Crackers. Wash down with low-fat milk and a skimming of low fat peanut butter.
- Granola Bar. Dip it into some yogurt. (Adapted from Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 2nd ed.)
It is important for everyone to fuel their body with healthy food all throughout the day. If you are trying to lose weight and currently do not eat breakfast, start with adding this important meal into your day and cutting back on the amount you eat at evening meals. You may find your energy level going up and the excess weight coming down.
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