The Improtance Of Eating a Healthy Breakfast
Author: Melissa Lahti
Feb. 27, 2012
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately with the busy lives we tend to live, this is the one meal we too often skip. This meal is important mainly because it provides the energy and brain function we need throughout the day. Many studies have shown improved concentration and performance, Strength and endurance, and weight control in people who eat a healthy breakfast every morning. In fact, breakfast eaters tend to weigh less.
Eating breakfast is very important for people who want to lose weight. One mistake people make is to skip breakfast, either because they are in a hurry or they want to cut calories. This proves to be a costly mistake again and again. One reason is because once lunch rolls around the person is so hungry they tend to over eat and make bad food choices. If they would have eaten a healthy breakfast they could have easily made a more health conscious decision on what to eat for lunch.
A healthy breakfast makes all the difference. Eating a bowl of “kid” cereal is not going to do much for you in the way of nutrition. There are many good, high quality, quick meals you can eat and get the energy and stamina you need to get through your day. Adding a lean protein to your breakfast will help you to feel full longer. Eggs have the highest quality protein. A lot of people are worried about eating eggs but the American Heart Association says, a healthy person can eat one egg a day and not get high cholesterol. Eating a variety of food is the key to good nutrition. If you are worried about high cholesterol or already have it eat eggs only one or two days a week and never eat more than 2 eggs at a time. Another benefit of eating protein is that it helps keep lean muscle which in turn burns fat.
It is a good idea to always try to include at least 5grams of fiber and 5grams of protein in your breakfast. There are many options of things to eat that provide the best balance of protein and fiber. Many common breakfast foods that include protein are; low or non-fat dairy, eggs, Canadian bacon, lean ham, turkey bacon or sausage, soy products and peanut butter. Common breakfast foods that provide fiber include; anything with whole grains and any fruits and vegetables. It is a good idea to skip the bagels, donuts or anything with high carbohydrates. These will only give you a quick pick me up and then make you sleepy while causing you to gain more weight and feel hungry faster.