Break The Fast, Have A Blast!
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FollowI’m sure many of you have heard your mum have said at one point of time to “Eat your breakfast!” And for all that its worth, her naggings held a very valid point—breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.
Glucose is the main source of energy for the brain and thus, it goes without saying that a continuous supply of glucose is needed to enhance the brain’s performance which includes improving one’s concentration, mental performance and memory.
As the name “breakfast” suggest—to break fast, it is vital that you should NOT skip breakfast. This is simply because the brain has been derived of ‘food’ during the time when you were asleep. Thus, if you carry out your activities without first having breakfast, you are essentially performing below your normal potential. Studies have revealed that having meals first thing in the morning helps to replenish blood glucose levels in the brain. Forgoing your breakfast often leads to poor concentration, irritability, and a high craving for food during the meals taken after that. This, more often than not, leads to overeating and weight gain.
In actual fact, if you are trying to shed some pounds, you should never skip breakfast. Control your diet by eating smaller meals and healthy snacks rather than having to resort to skipping meals. Ironically, if you are trying to diet, you can start off by having a healthy breakfast everyday as this will decrease the tendency to overeat for subsequent meals.
Also, if you have kids at home, make sure that they have their breakfast before heading off to school as research has shown that children who eat a good breakfast do better than those who do not.
Excuses like ‘not enough time’ and ‘too complicated to make’ are not good enough reasons for skipping the most important meal. Making a healthy breakfast is as simply as having a glass of milk, fruits (which you could have prepared the night before), and cereal (which simply comes out from the box!).
Here are some breakfast tips:
1. A healthy breakfast consists of a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fats, and fiber. Protein can come from meat, eggs, beans or soy products, whereas fiber can be found in whole grain cereals, or in fruits. So mix and match these food groups when having your meal.
2. Prepare your breakfast the night before. You could always pack your fruits in a ready-to-go container the night before or even prepare a mini breakfast box to bring to work the next day if you do not have time to do so in the morning.
3. Eat last night’s leftovers. Another easy solution to not having enough time to prepare for your breakfast.
4. Eat mindfully. Be it just 5 minutes or more, try and enjoy your breakfast. If you rush to have your breakfast, you won’t really feel like you had a meal. You don’t have to sit still and just focus on eating, but rather, just relax while having your breakfast instead of just wolfing it down.
So start eating your breakfast today! As someone once said, “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper.” Never discount the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So have a blast while you’re eating it!
