Do you also skip your breakfast? Do you also feel like nothing to eat until a major part of the day has passed? Or you feel so full in the mornings because of the habit of late dinners?
Is breakfast really important?
Breakfast as the name implies; is breaking your fast after rising up from prolonged hours of fasting during the night hours. It is the most essential meal to kick start your day. It not only replenishes the body with the nourishment it needs at the onset of the day but also aids metabolism. Numerous studies and scientific evidences are available supporting the imperious role of breakfast in our lives.
Dr. David S. Ludwig, a nutrition expert at Harvard-affiliated Children’s Hospital Boston; says, “As we sleep, chemicals in our bodies are at work digesting food from the previous night. By morning, we are ready to ‘break the fast’ after a stretch of not eating. The blood sugar (glucose) we need to power our muscles and brains is normally low when we wake up, and breakfast helps replenish it. But if we miss the day’s first meal, we may start tapping our energy reserves — including what’s stored in our muscle”.
Skipping breakfast?
Skipping breakfast leads to increased bouts of hunger and as soon as you grab your first meal in the late morning hours you tend to eat more than required. A surge for impulsive snacking and overeating is also observed. So, not only you give your body the first meal at the wrong time but also in the wrong quantity. That is for sure not a healthy start to your day.
Role of breakfast in maintaining a healthy lifestyle:
Since breakfast is the first meal consumed after long fasting periods it influences the body metabolism much more than the lunch or the dinner. So, what you present on the plate for your body in the morning has a substantial effect in maintaining an optimum body weight There are researches which emphasize on the role of a healthy breakfast to have a plummeting effect on obesity and other cardiac risk factors. Breakfast improves focus and alertness which is so much needed during the early morning hours. It also advances cognitive performance especially among children.
What to eat?
As the famous saying goes: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.”
Breakfast must be wholesome and balanced with adequate proportions from all major food groups (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins). There can be various options depending on your palate and appetite. Eggs, oatmeal, smoothies, boiled chickpeas, wheat flour chapatti, milk, dates, cottage cheese, nuts, seeds like chia, flax, fenugreek, and fresh fruits constitute some of the very best and nutritive breakfast options in almost all the major cuisines. Caffeine and nicotine can be added as a beverage in the form of coffee and tea respectively. They are nervine stimulants and are much required to trigger the alertness.
For early office goers and children:
Usually high prevalence of skipping breakfast is recorded among children and people in occupations which demand early presence at workplace. Since they are in a haste to leave early so preparing or having a breakfast gets difficult for them. For them, seasonal fruits, dates, milk, dry fruits can serve to be some of the best healthier options. They can also be packed beforehand or previous night and consumed on the go.
What not to eat:
A diet loaded with calories and fats is a big no at the start of the day. Food items like doughnuts, toasted bread with butter, store bought readymade meal and juices, desserts, jams and jellies should be avoided at all. They cause instant rise in blood sugar levels and then a quick decline leading to increased snacking by mid-morning. Moreover, it causes a sluggish effect making you feel lazy and unable to concentrate.
Hence, the bottom line is:
Breakfast has been the most important meal since ages in all cultures and traditions as healthy outcome is the chief sequel of eating an appropriate breakfast. Not only you are saving off yourself from various ailments but also providing the fuel your body needs to stay energetic by having first meal of the day.
