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‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ is one of the most common phrases that you will hear when it comes to any discussion pertaining to food and an individual’s dietary requirements. However, studies have shown that this is more than simple talk and that there is a large element of truth to it. Considering that breakfast is the first meal of the day, the foods we eat play a large role in how the body is able to cope with the stress and pressures of the day. Extensive research has been carried out all over the world to gain an insight on whether there really is a discernable improvement in a person’s functionality after having a regular diet that consists of healthy breakfast foods and the same studies have shown that even children tend to perform much better in school and tend to be more attentive as well. The same reactions have been witnessed in toddlers and preschoolers.
The same studies also show that people who skip breakfast, which is a common trend especially in individuals who want to lose weight, the body tends to tire much faster and generally runs rather low on biofuel. Another aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that there is a major difference between just having a breakfast and eating a healthy breakfast. Because of the fact that most of us live rather fast paced lives, there is always the tendency to simply hash up a quick meal that is more likely to contain a high fat ratio rather than the required amounts of vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.
Healthy breakfasts should contain some amount of protein and some amount of fiber to be beneficial to the body. The protein content can be easily attained through low fat meat, eggs and beans while the fibrous content can be found in a number of vegetables and fruits. A healthy breakfast also means that you avoid a breakfast containing any kinds of sugary cereals, pastries, and syrups as they are digested extremely quickly and will tend to leave you rather hungry as well as tired in merely a couple of hours.
This is primarily the reason that fiber and protein make up such an important part of a healthy breakfast as they ensure that you do not feel hungry until lunch time. Because of the fact that a healthy breakfast is extremely important for the well being of the body, there are a number of healthy breakfast recipes that can be found on the internet as well as in the numerous health recipe books available at your local bookstore. Another tendency that a lot of people tend to pick up when discussing a healthy diet breakfast is that many prefer to compliment their breakfast with a glass of juice or a cup of coffee.
While the juice does have its merits, usually containing a number of vitamins that will help the body throughout the day, it is highly recommended that you replace your beverages with a few glasses of water. This will help not only detoxify the system to some extent, but will also ensure that you remain hydrated at all times. Despite the fact that a lot of people tend to use the excuse of a lack of time when it comes to consuming a healthy breakfast, it is important to manage your time in such a way that you can grab a healthy but quick breakfast every morning. Making sure that you have a breakfast on a daily basis will not only make a huge difference to your daily aptitude and attitude, but to your overall lifestyle as well. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it is considered as the brain food. After a long fast of about 7-8 hours of sleeping our body need fuel to carry out the activities throughout the day. Skipping breakfast with an intension of losing weight is not a wise idea, as the fasting period increases making you feel hungrier. As a result you tend to binge in the meal which you first eat leading to over consumption of excess calories. Thus ultimately you gain weight instead of losing. Many studies prove that children who avoid breakfast are not able to pay full attention in school hours, have more than desired body mass index, or have low iron stores in the body.
Healthy breakfast options –
- Having your breakfast doesn’t always mean that you can have anything and everything in it. A healthy breakfast is what one should emphasize on. Here are some of the breakfast ideas which can help.
- Cakes, pastries, chips, wafers, junk foods like pizzas, burgers, and rolls are high in fat and sugar. Avoid such foods that contain fat especially saturated and trans fat, butter, sugar and excess salt as these are some of the major factors for health problems. Also these foods don’t fulfill the requirement of other vital vitamins and minerals which are required by the body and give high satiety feeling thereby delay the time for next meal.
- Choose healthy breakfast food options like low-fat milk, low-fat yoghurt, roasted grains and cereals, air popped popcorn with minimum salt, whole grain cookies, oatmeal cookies and graham cookies.
- Variety should be the key, try to include little from the entire food groups for example a very wise option for breakfast is breakfast cereal along with a cup of low fat milk. You can even add fruits of your choice like apples, bananas, oranges or peaches in it for better palatability. Along with this you can also include a cup of sprouts or an egg or pancake, french toast or waffle.
- Vegetables like carrots, cucumber can be cut in different shapes and dipped in some flavored low-fat yoghurt serves excellent finger foods for kids.
- Make a healthy sandwich for breakfast using whole wheat bread. Stuff it with lots of vegetables and replace mayonnaise, cream or butter with low-fat yoghurt. Lean meat, egg and steamed tuna can also be used as a filling in this sandwich.
- Some people try to avoid their main meal – breakfast by giving a very lame reason of time. When in hurry just grab a fruit or dry crackers, yoghurt, boiled egg, dry cereal or a cup of low fat milk. You can even make some preparations the night before; believe me it would be worth it!
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