"Breakfast Boost"

I know you heard this before; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. My opinion, EVERY meal is just as important. It's crucial that you provide your body with the nutrients it needs with every meal, every day. But there is ample evidence that the simple act of eating the right breakfast every day is a big part of creating healthy habits and maintaining a good weight.

The meaning of the word breakfast is to break the fast between dinner and the meal eaten after a person wakes up the next morning. If you really think about it, the name makes sense! For most people, they can go up to 12 hours since their last meal. And skipping breakfast may add an additional 4 hours. So why is it good to eat breakfast? Let's take a look at some benefits I found during research!

Weight loss

Most of society have this thought that breakfast adds on additional calories to your day that can be skipped to allow time for binging on lunch and dinner. This actually causes your body to starve and by the time lunch time comes, we overeat! Eating breakfast is a daily habit for the "successful losers" who belong to The National Weight Control Registry. These people have maintained a 30-pound (or more) weight loss for at least a year, and some as long as six years. Two studies in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association backed up this finding.  A group of researchers analyzed data from a government-funded study that followed more than 2,000 young girls from ages 9 to 19. They found that regular cereal eaters had fewer weight problems than infrequent cereal eaters. Those who ate cereal occasionally had a 13% higher risk of being overweight compared to the regular cereal eaters. A theory behind weight loss is that eating breakfast is part of a healthy lifestyle which includes making wise food choices and balancing calories with exercise. 

Energy Boost

Everyone should start their day off right by eating as many vitamins and other nutrients as possible. The great thing about breakfast is there are so many common breakfast foods that can be considered super-foods because of their nutritional value: eggs which provide protein and vitamin D; whole grains which provide fiber and other key nutrients, and of course orange juice, which provides  vitamin c. These are great super foods to give you a kick of energy. Definitely remember to keep a choice of protein in your meal with some sort of vegetable for a kick start in the right direction from the meals following. (Try incorporating a vegetable or 2 in every meal)

Portion Control

You may not feel very hungry when you initially wake up, but eating a healthy, balanced breakfast can help you plan and portion out your meals for the rest of the day. That way, you won't be tempted to binge eat or snack unnecessarily, both of which are unhealthy habits that can lead you to ignore your nutrition by satisfying hunger cravings with fatty foods anytime you like.

Reduce Crankiness and Increase focus

Feeling cranky during the morning is understandable - you probably wanted to stay in bed for a few extra winks, you don't feel like going to work, and what most people forget, you're starving! Imagine going without food for 8 to 12 hours during the day; you probably won't be the most approachable person in the office or classroom. Do yourself, your co-workers, and your noisy stomach a favor by eating breakfast to help you deal with any morning moodiness and stress. 

XoXo,

Rebecca