Although it may sound like an old wives’ tale, breakfast really is the most important meal of that day. I’m willing to bet you’ve heard your fair share of odd-sounding, breakfast-based prophecies in your time. My favourite has to be: ‘breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dine like a pauper’, simply because it encourages people to eat a lot of breakfast!
Unfortunately, many people – myself included – find it difficult to eat breakfast and have picked up the incredibly unhealthy habit of skipping. Well, we’re here to change that starting today! Here we have just four real reasons why you should be eating breakfast:
Breaking The Fast
Ever wondered why we call our first meal of the day ‘breakfast’? It’s quite obvious when you think about it: we’re breaking our fast, which we experienced whilst sleeping. As we sleep, our bodies significantly slow down our metabolic rates because we haven’t eaten for hours. By consuming breakfast we are waking our metabolisms up. When we eat our cereals or toast we are putting fuel into our bodies and kick starting our engines for the day! Various nutritionists around the world suggest that you have your breakfast within two hours of waking up to really feel the benefits.
Great For Weight Loss
Research and studies are repeatedly showing that people who eat breakfast lose weight and keep it off at a higher rate than others who do not. By eating a hearty breakfast you reduce your cravings for a huge, unhealthy lunch. In addition to this, if you go without breakfast your body doesn’t process you next meal quite as quickly or efficiently as it should and instead stores the nutrients and fuel. This leads to weight gain and sluggishness.
Superfoods
You may think that superfoods –that is, foods that contain high levels or nutrients – are hard to come by, especially for breakfast. You could not be more wrong! Most superfoods are already considered breakfasty-type foods! For instance, eggs are a great source of protein and antioxidants, which keep your eyes and skin healthy. Numerous studies have shown that people who eat egg-based breakfasts function better throughout the morning and require lunch than those who eat breakfasts with the same amount of calories, like a bagel for instance.
Prefer a light fruit salad to a heavy, eggy meal? Try to incorporate berries into your breakfast! Raspberries alone contain 8g of fiber per cup, as well as ellagic acid, which is thought to have anti-cancer properties. Blueberries are brimming with antioxidants, cranberries fight inflammation and improve oral health, and strawberries contain more than your daily dose of vitamin C.
If you enjoy a bowl of porridge for your breakfast you will be consuming high levels of calcium, potassium, vitamin E and protein, all of which reduce stress, lower cholesterol and improves digestion. Yogurt is also an extremely healthy breakfast choice as it’s packed with “good bacteria”. In fact, through the 1970’s Soviet Georgia said their high number of centurions was down to how much yogurt they consumed.
Starts Your Day Off Right
By re-fueling soon after waking up you are setting yourself up for a productive, alert and overall great day. However, if you skip breakfast you may find yourself being disinterested, irritable and completely out of it. One of the main reasons this occurs is because you have not restored your glucose levels, which is essential to brain function. Simply eat a healthy breakfast and you’ll notice how much more concentration and energy you have.
So tomorrow morning when you wake up, make sure you start your day off right with a great, healthy breakfast!
Article by: Why Is Breakfast The Most Important Meal Of The Day? – Health Today: Health And Lifestyle Blog
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