If anyone ever asks me what my favorite meal of the day is, I'm always quick to respond that it's breakfast. This is not only because I absolutely love breakfast foods, but also because of how much your body benefits from eating first thing in the morning.
Many people are under the impression that by skipping breakfast, they're saving themselves calories. This though is not the case; you actually consume more calories throughout the day by not eating this pivotal meal! When you skip breakfast, your body goes into starvation mode (consider that fact that you haven't eaten all of those hours you were sleeping, and by skipping breakfast, you're prolonging the period of time since you last ate). Your body in turn begins to store what you eat later on more efficiently, storing it as fat instead of glucose (which your body uses as energy). Not only that, but you're also likely to overeat later in the day, and most likely of the wrong foods. Because you're body is in such a deprived state, you're likely to crave sugary and carb-heavy foods... this is due to a drop in blood-sugar and because fattening foods are simply going to seem more appealing.
Your metabolism also suffers by skipping breakfast. When you don't eat in the morning, your metabolism slows down, and it's harder to get running later on. By eating breakfast, you're not only giving a kick-start to a revving metabolism, but you'll also find that you'll have more energy throughout the day and will experience less feelings of irritability that come from hunger. Now, this doesn't mean that you should reach for a bowl of sugar-coated cereal. The types of food you consume also play a huge role. For lasting feelings of fullness and energy, go a meal that consists of protein and complex carbohydrates (greek yogurt and whole-wheat toast, eggs and a bowl of oats, etc.)
And for all of you out there who simply don't make breakfast a priority due to a lack of time in the morning, there are plenty of quick and easy meals that you can whip up before heading out the door, such as fruit and veggie smoothies, greek yogurt mixed with fruit, a bowl of quick-oats, or pre-made breakfast bars. If you don't have time for a sit down meal, simply transfer your food into a to-go container and eat it as you're heading out to school or work! Below are some links to quick and easy breakfasts that will give a great start to your day!
Chai Oatmeal
Quinoa Vegetable Scramble
Blueberry Almond-Butter Smoothie
Overnight Buckwheat Parfait
Berry Wafflewhich
Homemade Energy Bars
Creamy Barley with Coconut and Pomegranate Seeds
Eggs Italiano
what are healthy low calorie/sugar breakfast cereals? i eat ezekeil toast or fruit with a spoonful of non fat greek yogurt in the mornings, but want to try a healthy cereal except im scared that they're all full of sugar/ fat.
ReplyDeleteI've actually been asked that same question a couple of times before. I personally don't eat cereal in the morning, but this link from FitSugar should be helpful!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fitsugar.com/Low-Sugar-Cereals-28972028?utm_campaign=tagalert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=www.fitsugar.com&spi_campaign=tagalert&spi_medium=email&spi_source=www.fitsugar.com&utm_content=post_readmore
Have you considered eating oatmeal? It's packed with fiber and contains only a gram of sugar or less when you stray from the flavored varieties. I have a bowl each morning and sweeten it with cinnamon, though you can also sweeten it with fruit, which gives you a dose of antioxidants as well!
Thank you for the link and thanks for the advice! What brand oatmeal?
ReplyDeleteAs long as it says 100% whole grain oats, you could really go with any brand. I usually buy the generic grocery store variety since it's usually cheaper than others!
Deletesorry for all the questions, but whenever i find a cereal that's relatively low in calories/ sugar, the grams of carbs are so high. i already eat sweet potatoes which are high in carbs, I don't want to over-do my daily dosage!!
ReplyDelete