What Is Breakfast?
Sounds
obvious doesn’t it?
Yes, breakfast is the first meal of the day – but did you realise that breakfast
literally means “to break the fast”? That’s what makes it so important!
While
you’ve been sleeping your body hasn’t had any food and so you’ve been fasting
for around 8 hours! That’s why breakfast is such an important meal for people
of all ages. Many people undervalue the importance of
breakfast but this
is the perfect time to give your body some healthy fuel to set it up for the
day ahead.
The Importance Of
Breakfast
Need more
convincing? OK, here are some more reasons why breakfast is such a vital part
of a healthy lifestyle:
- Breakfast can improve your attention, mental performance and memory. If you start the day hungry your body stays in a fasting state which makes it much more difficult to concentrate. Eating breakfast has been shown to improve learning, memory and academic performance in school children. So don’t start the day behind the eight ball, give yourself a fighting chance to perform at your best.
- Breakfast helps boost your intake of important nutrients. Foods consumed at breakfast are usually breads, cereals, milk and yogurt which contribute carbohydrates, calcium and fibre to your diet. People who miss breakfast usually don’t make up these nutrients later on. What’s more, many cereals are fortified with important vitamins and minerals, which help you meet your nutrient needs for the day. Including fruits that are high in vitamin C, such as berries or kiwi fruit, will make the iron in your cereal more easily absorbed.
- Eating breakfast helps you
maintain a healthy weight. Skipping breakfast is not an effective way to
lose weight. In fact, people who skip breakfast are more likely to be
heavier than those who find the time to have some food in the morning.
Eating high fibre and protein foods at breakfast will not only help you
feel full for longer, they will also help to prevent a drop in blood sugar
levels – which is what causes those cravings for high fat, high sugar
foods mid-morning.
Make Time For Breakfast
Making
enough time for a healthy breakfast every morning is a great habit to get into.
If you
skip breakfast you are unlikely to meet your daily needs for essential vitamins
and minerals, which will leave you with much less energy.
Five
minutes is all it takes. Eat some yogurt and a slice of bread before you walk out the door. If
you don’t have time at home, try to have a proper breakfast when you get to work
or school.
If that’s
really not possible then there are now a number of healthy on-the-go choices of
breakfast drinks and bars so you don’t miss out altogether. Be careful that
your choice of breakfast on-the-go is also tooth friendly.
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