4 Reasons Why You Should Eat a Good Breakfast

You might be skipping breakfast because you are in a hurry or you think that it is a way to lose weight. . But skipping breakfast is not the solution. In fact, there are some pretty good reasons why you should eat a good breakfast everyday. 

Here are 4 good reasons:

1. The first reason is that after a long night of fasting, during sleep, your body would have used up the fuel and a good bit of the nutrients that you consumed during the day. A good breakfast will replenish the nutrient levels in your cells to give you the energy and mental clarity you need for optimum performance.
2. Breakfast can provide one-fifth to one-third of your daily nutritional needs. Going without a good breakfast increases the chance that you might consume a lot of empty calories during the day without a matching allowance of vitamins, minerals and other important dietary substances.
3. Breakfast is an opportunity to get milk or other dairy products, including cheese and yogurt, which can help to meet your calcium needs. Keep in mind that calcium is needed to build strong bones. Skipping breakfast may make it harder to get the calcium you need during the rest of the day and put you are risk for osteoporosis.
4. Breakfast will keep you from getting ravenously hungry in the middle of the morning and stuffing yourself with high-calorie junk food.

Getting Your Child to Eat a Good Breakfast

Overview

Starting the day with a healthy breakfast is a great way to ensure that your child is able to meet his daily requirements for protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, fluids and other dietary essentials.

Benefits of a Good Breakfast

Eating a good breakfast goes beyond helping to meet your child's basic nutritional needs. Studies show that children who eat a good breakfast are more alert in school, have more energy,  and do better in academic and physical performance than those who skip breakfast. 

Reducing Junk Food Consumption

If your child eats a good breakfast, he is less likely to stop by the corner store or vending machine to fill up on sodas, cookies, and other junk food. These sugary, high-calorie snacks lack the important nutrients that children need for healthy growth and development. Instead, these high-calorie, low-nutrient foods offer an excess of calories that may easily contribute to the growing problem of childhood obesity in this country.

Get a Head Start on Breakfast

You can take the stress out of trying to figure out what to give your child for breakfast if you have a plan. Here are a few simple suggestions:

• When grocery shopping, keep breakfast in mind. Of course, having a shopping list is always a good idea. Buy foods that are easy to prepare or that can be eaten on the go without making a mess. Read the nutrition label on food packages and avoid those with a large amount of sugar, fat or salt. The less processed, the better.

• Plan ahead. Review breakfast plans for the next day - even if it is just a mental review of what you plan to prepare for breakfast. Make sure  that you have what you need. 

• Post a menu on the refrigerator or in some other place where older children can see it and place breakfast foods within easy reach so that no one has to ask where things are or waste time trying to find the foods they need. This includes zippered bags or other containers for packing breakfast to go, in case you are running out of time.

• Let your child help with planning, preparing and serving or packing breakfast as soon as he is old enough to do so. 

• And here’s the biggie: Get kids to bed early and get them up 10 to 15 minutes earlier than usual to allow more time for breakfast. 

Breakfast to Go

Sometimes, there just isn't enough time to get kids out of bed, get them ready for school and have them sit down to a good breakfast. As a result, it becomes necessary to pack breakfast to eat on the go. 

Here are a few menu ideas for those times when it becomes necessary for your child to eat breakfast on the go. 

Monday – Whole grain breakfast cereal, milk and grapes

Tuesday - Cheese sandwich with whole wheat bread and cran-grape juice

Wednesday – Sliced turkey, lettuce, whole wheat bread and milk

Thursday - Whole grain breakfast cereal, milk and banana

Friday – Peanut butter sandwich, milk and apple

Note: Many schools now offer breakfast. If your child participates in the school breakfast program, make sure that he gets there on time.

Your Weekend Breakfast

Weekends give the whole family a chance to sleep a little later and have a leisurely breakfast. Here are a couple ideas for your sit-down, family style breakfast.

Saturday - Pancakes, omelet, milk and strawberries

Sunday – Hot oatmeal with raisins, milk and orange juice

Summary

Without a doubt, mornings can be hectic - trying to get children out of bed and to school on time is no easy task, especially when you also have to make an early start to get to work on time. But with a little advance planning, you can have your kids eating a healthy breakfast and out the door in good time. 

Breakfast: The Importance of Eating a Good Breakfast

Overview
Eating a good breakfast provides all sorts of health benefits; it is important for your overall health, promotes mental alertness and keeps you energized so you can perform your best, both mentally and physically.

Eating a Good Breakfast Offers Many Health Benefits

Here are just a few of the health benefits you will enjoy when you eat a good breakfast.

Nutrition. After a long night without food, your body is in a state of nutritional deprivation. It must draw on the reserve of nutrients in your cells in order to continue functioning. Eating a good breakfast helps to maintain those reserves. A good breakfast provides the nutrients you need for healthy growth and development, as well. If you skip breakfast, chances are you may consume too many calories during the day without getting enough of the vitamins, minerals and other dietary essentials that you need for optimum health. Your breakfast should provide two-fifths to one-third of the nutrients you need for the day.  

Blood sugar. Your body literally goes into an overnight fast while you sleep. By the time you awaken, your blood sugar drops, which diminishes your energy level. A good breakfast restores your blood sugar and gives you the energy you need to get up and go. Try to eat foods that contain a mix of complex carbohydrates so that you get some fiber. Try to avoid consuming a lot of sugar that could send a rush of glucose into your bloodstream at once. 

Mental alertness. Your brain needs glucose (sugar) to function properly. During sleep, the level of glucose in your blood is lowered. As a result, your brain might not be getting enough. By eating a good breakfast, you are able to recharge your brain, in a manner of speaking, so that you can think clearly and perform other tasks efficiently throughout the morning hours. Eating a balanced breakfast of fruits and/or vegetables, whole grain bread or cereal and a good source of protein is key. Breakfast is also a good time to get some calcium in your diet from things like milk, cheese or yogurt.

Physical activity. Your muscles need glucose for optimum performance. But, like all the cells in your body, muscle cells must have other key nutrients present in order to metabolize or use the glucose you consume. So, eating a balanced breakfast that provides a variety of vitamins, minerals and other dietary essentials is important. Avoid drinking sodas or consuming cookies, chips and donuts or other sugary and/or high fat foods for breakfast, as these foods could actually impede your performance.

Weight control. Studies show that people who eat a good breakfast are more likely to control their weight than those who skip breakfast. One reason might be that when you eat a good breakfast, you are less likely to fill up on sodas, chips, donuts and other high-calorie, low nutrient foods that lead to unhealthy weight gain. Try to eat foods that are minimally processed and that are low in sugar, saturated fat and salt. Eating foods high in fiber, such as whole grains and nuts can help you to feel full longer, making it less likely that you will fill up on high fiber foods later in the morning.

Constipation. A good breakfast that includes whole grains and other high-fiber foods will help to improve gut function, move waste along your G.I. tract and out as waste. This will reduce the risk of constipation so that you can enjoy total health.

Summary

The bottom line is, you need to start your day by eating a good breakfast. This will help you to get some key nutrients, boost your metabolism, enhance both mental and physical activity, and may help you to lose weight if that is your goal.

Next blog: What to Eat for Breakfast 

Resources

12 Do's and Don'ts for Dieters

Overview

Trying to lose weight could be a very simple process for many people. You know what to do and you do it. For others, it could be the hardest thing you ever tried to do. You try your darnedest but the scale won’t budge. Makes you want to scream, doesn’t it? 

Well, hold your breath. Let’s take a look at some things that you can do to boost weight loss and some of the things that you shouldn't do if you want to succeed. 

12 Do’s

1. Do eat a healthy breakfast everyday.

2. Do drink plenty of water.

3. Do snack on fruits, crunchy vegetables and nuts between meals.

4. Do enjoy healthy meals that include a good source of protein.

5. Do eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

6. Do drink 2 to 3 cups of milk or get your calcium from other sources daily.

7. Do eat fish and other foods rich in omega-3 fats several times a week.

8. Do eat more whole grain breads and cereals and less refined products.

9. Do eat dried beans and peas, nuts and seeds more often.

10. Do control your food portions.

11. Do get a few minutes of sunshine daily and eat vitamin D fortified foods.

12. Do get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.


12 Don’ts

1. Don't skip breakfast.

2. Don't start the day off with sodas and other sugary drinks.

3. Don't eat too much cakes, cookies, candies or other high-calorie foods. 

4. Don't eat foods made with trans fat.

5. Don't eat foods that are high in saturated fat.

6. Don't eat or drink foods that are high in sugar.

7. Don't eat or drink foods made with artificial sweeteners.

8. Don't eat fast food too often.

9. Don't eat foods made with refined/white flour.

10. Don't eat foods with a lot of salt/sodium.

11. Don't eat processed meats too often.

12. Don't let the stresses of the day cause you to overeat.

If this seems like a lot of do's and don'ts, here's another one: Don’t worry. Choose one thing to do at a time and before you know it, you will be doing all the “Do’s” and controlling all the “Don’ts.” Take the first step right now.

Water and Weight Loss

Overview
The idea that you can lose weight by drinking water before meals is not really new, although it is getting renewed interest. But does it really work? Could something as cheap and as simple as drinking a refreshing glass of water help you to lose weight? Or is it just a gimmick? Let’s see.

Water as a Weight Loss Diet Aid 
For years, diet proponents have been suggesting that drinking lots of water is a good way to lose weight. But there has been little scientific study to support that recommendation. Still, it makes sense. Sometimes, people mistake thirst for hunger and reach for something solid to eat rather than drinking water. Reaching for a glass of water instead of solid food would serve to rehydrate while avoiding unnecessary calories.

In theory, drinking water would avoid unwanted calories and thus support weight loss. But, is there any scientific evidence to show that drinking water before a meal can actually help you to shed unwanted pounds? 

The scientific literature on this subject is sparse. In fact, during my cursory search of the literature online, two studies related to the question. In one study, a group of men and women were given about 2 cups of water to drink about one-half hour before meals. Another group in the same study did not drink water prior to the meal. Both groups were on a low-calorie diet. 

At the end of 12 weeks, the group that drank the water 30 minutes before the meal had lost more weight than the group that did not drink water prior to eating meals. According to the authors, this study demonstrated that drinking two cups of water prior to eating meals could lead to increased weight loss. 

Another study, designed to determine whether or not drinking water 30 minutes before a meal produced weight loss by causing a reduction in the amount of food consumed. One group of adults was assigned to drink 500 ml of water (about 2 cups) prior to eating breakfast. A second group did not drink water before eating. The investigators found that those who drank 2 cups of water before eating consumed less food than those who did not drink water before eating. 

Summary
These results supported the theory that drinking water before meals may help to increase weight loss by curbing the appetite, which would result in reduced food intake.

Resources

http://www.ipwr.org/documents/WaterWeightLoss.Obesity.2009.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18589036