Think skipping breakfast is a smart way to shed a few pounds? The opposite is true. In fact, breakfast is a key part of maintaining a healthy weight. Here’s why you’ll never want to miss the morning meal again.
Did your mother always preach about the importance of breakfast? She was right. For starters, you need a good breakfast to rev up your metabolism after a long night’s sleep. When you sleep, your metabolism [slows] down, skipping breakfast is like a car running on empty, you need a high-quality breakfast to fuel up.
A smart meal includes a combination of carbohydrates and protein, you need some carbohydrates, primarily from whole grains because they have more nutrients,you also need protein, which slows down digestion, so carbohydrates are used more slowly.
That means you’ll stay satisfied all morning.
Breakfast is also a good time to get much-needed calcium for bone strength and iron (from eggs, nuts, dried fruit or iron-fortified cereal), which helps carry oxygen to blood cells for energy. Still, if you’re cutting calories, breakfast seems the easiest meal to skip. Trouble is, it doesn’t work for weight control. The National Weight Control Registry, which has tracked 5,000 people since 1994, shows that those who eat breakfast control their weight better than those who don’t. Not only do you overeat later, but if you skip breakfast, it’s harder to get all your nutrients in just two meals, it’s a lost opportunity for nutrition.
People also skip breakfast because they think they don’t have time for it, people think it takes a lot of time [in the morning] to be a breakfast eater. They also think breakfast is supposed to happen as soon as you wake up. But you can eat a quick meal on the train or at your office and still count it as breakfast. Have only 3 minutes? Mix whole-grain cereal, fat-free yogurt and fresh fruit to eat in the car.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas: Break It Up
A hectic morning doesn’t mean you have to skip a well-balanced breakfast. Weisenberger’s strategy: Divide it into two mini meals. Grab a banana as you rush out the door, she advises. It’s one of the best fruits to eat early in the morning because it provides vitamins and minerals, including potassium, a key mineral to regulate blood pressure and reduce stroke risk.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas: Vegan Start
Steel-cut oatmeal with almond milk and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds and freshly ground flaxseeds is one of her favorites. She adds blueberries and raspberries on the side, along with a cup of green tea to complete an antioxidant-rich meal. The oatmeal provides fiber and complex carbohydrates that fill you up and help sustain blood sugar levels to keep your energy up all morning. Flax seeds offer fiber and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Sunflower seeds have antioxidants vitamin E, selenium and magnesium.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas: Go Traditional
One of the healthiest breakfasts you can have is the “traditional triplet”: whole-grain ready-to-eat cereal with low- or fat-free milk washed down with 100% orange juice.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas: Bake a Batch of Bran Muffins
Bran muffins are an easy way to eat a high-fiber breakfast. But be careful here: Store-bought varieties can be loaded with sugar and fat. They can be a big calorie bomb, you’re better off baking your own, using applesauce or bananas as a substitute for fats or sugar. Make a batch on a Sunday night to last you through the week. Add a schemer of peanut butter, for an easy protein source .
A morning smoothie is another super-easy way to get a healthy start. It’s portable too. The ideal smoothie combines a low-fat protein and calcium source, plus fruit and a whole grain for fiber and vitamins Women need about 25 grams of fiber daily, if you don’t [get] it in the morning, it’s hard to get throughout the day. Blend yogurt, a banana, orange juice and a little bran (for fiber). Smoothies can also be made with low-fat milk.
