The Benefits of Eating Breakfast

No time to eat? Trying to lose a few pounds? Does eating breakfast make you hungry? These are some of the excuses as to why many people skip breakfast. If you are a “breakfast skipper”— you may want to reconsider, especially if you’re trying to control your weight. 

Here are the top 5 reasons as to why breakfast is an important meal:
1. Brain power
Your brain depends on glucose (blood sugar) to function. After not eating all night, you wake up with blood sugar on the lower side. If you skip breakfast, your blood sugar continues to drop. Studies have shown that adults who eat breakfast have better concentration and productivity throughout the morning. Children who eat breakfast have better problem-solving skills, better hand-eye coordination and are more creative and alert.

2. Weight control 
If you skip breakfast because you want to save calories, realize that you may be setting yourself up for failure later in the day. Going too long without eating can lead to a lack of control and distorted satiety signals at your next meal or snack. This can result in taking in more calories than if you had an appropriate breakfast. The best way to control your weight is to eat smaller meals and snacks more frequently.

Studies have shown that eating breakfast is a characteristic common to successful weight loss maintainers and may be a factor in their success.  A study was done focusing on long-term weight loss with “successful losers” and the habit of eating breakfast.  A large proportion of National Weight Control Registery subjects (2313 or 78%) reported regularly eating breakfast every day of the week. Only 114 subjects (4%) reported never eating breakfast. All subjects had maintained a weight loss of at least 13.6 kg (30 lb) for at least 1 year; on average these subjects had lost 32 kg and kept it off for 6 years. Check out this link for more details on the study.

3. Increasing energy levels
When you get up in the morning, your body has been in a fasting state since dinner the night before (or your late night snack!). By morning time, your glucose levels have dropped. Your body compensates by releasing the glucose that has been stored in your muscle tissue and liver, called glycogen. A healthy breakfast refuels your body and replenishes these glycogen stores that supply blood sugar (glucose), which in turn will give you energy. This is especially important if you are trying to exercise on a regular basis.

4. Improving nutrition
Breakfast is a great opportunity to get in foods rich in calcium, fiber, iron, B vitamins, other vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Examples: whole grain cereal with non fat milk and fruit, or yogurt with flaxseed and fruit.

5. Overall improved health and healthy habits. Skipping breakfast is associated with decreased physical activity. Regular breakfast eaters are more likely to exercise on a regular basis.  In addition, breakfast eaters tend to have lower levels of cholesterol, which may reduce risk of heart attack.
 

What is your excuse not to eat breakfast?
Here are 2 of the major excuses I hear and some suggestions as how to deal with them:

“Eating breakfast makes you hungry” 
If you are one of those people who feel that once you start eating, it “opens the floodgates” for your appetite, then I would suggest you try a higher protein breakfast. High protein breakfast can help you feel full longer as protein takes longer to digest. Studies have also shown that high protein breakfasts decrease ghrelin (a “hunger” hormone)   Check out my previous post on high protein breakfasts.

No time for breakfast”
Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big production. Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier and take the time to eat. If you prefer to eat on the run, there are plenty of options to take out the door with you, including: peanut butter on a whole grain pita, a string cheese or a hard boiled egg and an apple or a handful of nuts and dried fruit. Keep healthy food choices in your office such as instant packs of oatmeal or a box of whole grain cereal, whole grain crackers and a jar of nut butter, dried fruit, cottage cheese, yogurt.  

My recommendation for all you non-breakfast eaters out there is to try to eat something for breakfast for a week or two. Of course, you want that “something” to be on the healthy side. My guess is that you’ll notice a difference in how you feel … and will become a breakfast believer.


Stay tuned for my suggestions for healthy breakfasts.

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MEET MARTHA

I especially love problem-solving, whether it’s helping women defeat issues plaguing them for years, helping a busy executive find practical ways to get heart healthy, or providing tips to help you reverse diabetes. That’s why I’m on a constant quest to expand my knowledge by staying on top of the latest research.

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