Start Your Day Off Right

It's 6:00 A.M. in the morning when your alarm goes off. Among many other possibilities, you've got to feed and walk the dog, shower and get dressed, then head off to fight traffic, coffee cup in hand. What's missing from this picture? BREAKFAST! In a poll by ABC News, 4 out of 10 Americans skip breakfast. This number actually surprised me. From my experience speaking to people about diet and nutrition, I expected an even higher number. Nonetheless, it is a problem that needs to be addressed. I remember a saying I was taught at a young age, "Eat like a king for breakfast, a queen for lunch, and a pauper for dinner." It turns out there is some truth to be told in this saying. Unfortunately, the norm in America is quite the opposite.

Why is breakfast so important? First, you consider the fact that you (should) have been sleeping for the past 8 hours and have obviously not had any food to eat. Your body needs to refuel for the start of a new day. You will feel healthier, more energized and have better concentration on school or work. Also it plays part in another principle of diet and nutrition of eating smaller portions 4-5 times a day. This will help boost your metabolism and keep you eating the right amount of food. When you go long periods of time without eating (i.e. sleeping and the waking up to skip breakfast) your body is going to conserve the food you eat and store it as fat. This slows down your metabolism.

While I am reminding you to eat breakfast, just as any other meal it needs to consist of healthy and beneficial nutrients. Good lean proteins, high fiber and whole grain/whole wheat carbohydrates are the most important things to consider when choosing your menu.  Plain unflavored oatmeal is one of the best things to start with. You get good whole grain complex carbohydrates as well as a smaller amount of protein. Note I said PLAIN oatmeal, not flavored or sweetened. Most people give me an ugly face when I tell them this. Some simple ways of adding flavor to it are a teaspoon of peanut butter, cinnamon, a small mix of honey, or some of your favorite fruit. If you are using milk, make sure to use low fat or skim milk. For protein, eggs are considered one of the best natural sources of protein for breakfast. Specifically the egg whites are the most beneficial part so if preparing more than one egg, keep it to just one or no egg yolks which hold more cholesterol. Other items good to have as part of a breakfast meal are yogurt and cottage cheese. Be wary of high sugar/high sweetener yogurts though. Greek yogurt is also high in protein so look for those. Lastly, the most common form of breakfast is cereal. Again, be careful which cereal you choose as many of them have high sugar levels. There are some great whole grain cereals that have protein in them as well. Post and Kashi brand cereals are among the best! As you can see, these examples I have given take little to no preparation time so don't tell me you don't have time. Tomorrow when you wake up, start your day off right!