Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and supper like a pauper.
Conventional wisdom stresses the importance of starting your day with breakfast. But is it really necessary? I often hear from my clients that they are not hungry in the morning or don’t have time for breakfast. The research is really clear about the importance of breakfast for many reasons so I always encourage them to try to have some sort of meal before they head out for the day. With a little prep the night before and/or creative thinking, everyone can make breakfast a part of their day. Here are some reasons you should make an effort to include breakfast.
Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after the overnight fast that happens while you sleep. If you skip breakfast, you are effectively trying to run your body on empty. It’s like trying to start the car with no gas.
A large study found those who eat most of their calories in the morning have a lower BMI than people who save their calories for dinner even when they ate a similar number of calories.
Eating a protein filled breakfast (think eggs or protein smoothie) helps keep blood sugar balanced during the day and leaves you feeling full longer (possibly leading to less calorie consumption).
Eating the bulk of your calories for breakfast can lead to greater weight loss over time than filling up at dinner. Breakfast seems to jumpstart your metabolism, leading to greater calorie burn throughout the day.
Breakfast seems to be very important for success in school. A review of 47 studies about breakfast discovered that eating breakfast seems to improve cognitive function related to memory and test grades.
Some good ideas for breakfast include;
- Eggs with whole grain toast.
- Steel cut oats with nuts and berries.
- Quinoa porridge.
- Protein fruit smoothie.
Photo from flickr.
