Why Breakfast is Good for You

Ok... If you are reading this is because you do want to hear the "why breakfast is good for you" sermon.

Well, you may have read it in the paper, or maybe you've heard it on the radio on your way to work. It's almost a cliche! Almost everybody knows that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day".

If it's so good... how come many people skip breakfast?

People do. There are lots of excuses for not having breakfast, including (but not limited to):

Lack of time

not being a morning person

trying to lose weight

Not finding anything good for breakfast, and

having forgotten to have it

A while ago I used to skip breakfast too.

Later on I would have "whatever", and then a very heavy lunch (depending on how hungry I would be by lunch time).

But when I started paying attention to what I ate (and how and how much), I realised the damage I was causing to my body by skipping the most important meal of the day.

What happens to our bodies when we skip breakfast?

Understanding this question will help you realise "why breakfast is good for you", and hopefully, you'll reconsider making breakfast a must in your everyday life.

For starters, if you skip breakfast you're making it harder for your body to lose weight, and your energy levels will tend to be lower than those of a person who looks after herself.

Why?

Think about it. By the time breakfast is due, your body has not received any food for about 8 hours (a third of your day). Compare this with your "day" hours, when you have 3 (if not more) meals.

It is amazing how, if you are used to skipping breakfast, you condition yourself to feel "ok", but a close examination of your "fasting" mood would reveal that your levels of energy are low. What happens is that your body is rested at the end of a good sleep, but you still need the energy after you wake up.

Your body does not stop just because you go to sleep. It goes on breathing, digesting, pumping up blood everywhere in your body, and moving (amongst many other physiological processes).

It constantly needs fuel (ie food), and even if you're not hungry early in the morning, your body will still need the extra energy contained in a breakfast meal. It makes sense, doesn't it?

But breakfast is more than an energy source. Breakfast is good for you because it:

provides glucose to your brain, making you mentally efficient and alert. You get "the edge" by having breakie (Australian for "breakfast"); ;-) reduces your cholesterol levels (depending on what you eat for breakie, of course!);

gives you vital nutrients and vitamins;

makes you slimmer, by jump-starting your metabolism (how quickly your body burns energy), which is slow after relative inactivity at night. makes you "Mr or Ms Happy". An energized and balanced meal may alter your mode and make you feel better during the day.

What to have for breakfast?

The opposite of skipping breakfast is having the wrong things for breakfast (and possibly too much of it too!).

Every meal is capable of giving you energy. The question is "how long will that energy last for?". This is important to know because that will determine whether you still feel "charged up" till lunch time, or whether you're starving by 10 AM.

Avoid things like chocolate chip muffins and other high sugar meals. The energy levels are high (and they taste deliciuos, I know!) but short-lived, and the residual makes you bigger and heavier. So, these foods are a no-no.

Fresh fruits and cereals, are a healthier choice, but you have to be mindful of the sugar contained in cereals. Some of them can have enough sugar a whole family in one single serving!

But what if you're not "a breakfast person?"

There is no such a thing as a "breakfast person".

If you need to do something for your health, you do it, and you can condition yourself to make having breakfast part of your life and take pleasure on it.

But I've got a couple of tips that can help you in your transition to having breakfast:

Know "why" breakfast is important. Reading this article was a good start; ;-)

Buy fruits and cereal (but mind the amount of sugar that some cereals contain);

Check out my (ahem... )delicious low fat breakfast recipes and try some (you'll like them, I promise);

plan your meals. Planning ahead to have interesting and tasty meals for breakfast will help you enjoy it;

If you don't have the time to prepare breakie (you don't have 5 minutes for yourself!?), you may choose a good low fat fast food outlet and be good and have a low-fat-low-sugar-meal.

But whatever you do... do have breakfast!

... it's good for you! ;-)

Have a great day!

Jeff Rosales is "The Skinny Chef", the editor of http://www.Delicious-Low-Fat-Recipes.Com: a growing collection of delicious low fat recipes, weight loss and healthy eating articles, interviews and product reviews. Jeff's recipes are so delicious... you won't believe they're good for you!

---

Fast Weight Loss Takes Time

I recently received the following email:Q. Five weeks ago, I... Read More

Does A Quick Weight Loss Diet Really Work?

Only if you're trying to fool the scale on a... Read More

Dieting Strategy -- Stop Diet Drop Out

Diet drop out, a significant problem for all types of... Read More

Diet Pills and Consumer Fraud

Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come... Read More

The Benefits of Omega3 Fatty Acids - Losing Weight with Fat!

Essential Fats for Weight LossOver the past few decades, the... Read More

Lost Weight with Gastric Bypass & Now Youre Regaining - Fix It Fast!

I've talked to quite a few fellow gastric bypass patients... Read More

Fitness: Getting Started

It seems like everywhere you turn, there is someone trying... Read More

Emotional Eating

Yesterday, out of the blue, without any foreboding gossip or... Read More

3 Simple Changes In How You Eat That Will Make Dramatic Results In Your Ability To Burn Fat:

1. Increase your water intake to at least 1 gallon... Read More

Four Steps to Hunger Control

Axiom Number Two: Hunger ControlTrying to lose weight without understanding... Read More

Gastric Bypass ? The Nightmare for Food Lovers

While the gastric bypass may seem like the perfect solution... Read More

Can Writing Actually Improve Your Health?

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, writing... Read More

Hypnosis for Weight Control - Why Diets Dont Provide a Long-Term Solution

One of the difficulties with dieting is the well known... Read More

Walking for Weight Loss: Walking with a Purpose

I wrote this article back in the late fall when... Read More

What Cows Know About Weight Loss That We Have Forgotten

I want to talk to you about cows and what... Read More

Weight Loss For Beginners

Getting into a weight loss program or any type of... Read More

Fat Loss Exercise Strategies

How many calories you consume has a big impact on... Read More

Understanding Bariatric Surgery

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity... Read More

Weight Loss: Why Do 98% of People Fail on a Diet and How to Avoid this Easily

Everybody knows that 98% of dieters fail. But do you... Read More

Scales Are For Fish, Not Weight Loss

Contrary to common belief, your weight is not really the... Read More

Spritz On Some Flavor!

Now that everything from a tan to pantyhose comes in... Read More

Three Sure-Fire Ways To Lose Weight Get Healthier & Feel Great Without Dieting

--ONE--Learn how to reduce the fat, sugar and salt content... Read More

Dieting to Death

It has been 15 years since I was diagnosed with... Read More

Sale Offers, Ephedra, and Weight Loss... Are You A TARGET?

Today, Ephedra is an herb of controversy. It contains ephedrine,... Read More

Ultimate Weight loss: Ephedra is it Good or Bad?

I have had some e-mails come in and everyone is... Read More

Natural Weight Loss: Add to Your Diet and Add Years to Your Life

As I was saying in my past articles, others have... Read More

How I Easily Lost 21 lbs. in Just Weeks- Without Getting Hungry!

I was shocked. I started to cry...After the holidays, I... Read More

How To Maintain Your Ideal Weight

The main reasons most people have difficulty maintaining their ideal... Read More

Stop Putting Life Off Until You Lose Some Weight

No One I Know Looks Like a Bathing Beauty, so... Read More

Weight Loss Surgery: A Last Resort

Thinking about weight loss surgery? You're not alone. Over two-thirds... Read More

Lose Weight and Burn Fat with One Simple Eating Principle

Fifteen years ago the doctor's suggested that we eat pasta... Read More

How to Exercise and Lose Weight on a Busy Schedule

In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More

Lose Weight, Get Fit, and Live Longer

If all we have to do is exercise to live... Read More