Healthy Breakfast

Whatever your true feeling about breakfast? I believe this meal has earned the title of the most important meal of the day. Most of the information I have been able to internalize and commit to memory referrers to a "normal day." Meaning a day that ends in the evening and begins again in the morning. I say this because when I used to work the night shift hardly anything I have learned about the importance of breakfast would have applied to me then. So if off-shift work is your plight this information may or may not feel like it's useful.

After a good night's sleep of 8 to 10 hours, blood sugar levels are usually low by morning. Even while we sleep our body is busy working burning calories to keep us warm, while we sleep. After fasting for 8 to 10 hopefully restful hours of sleep. The Arabic word for the first meal of the day translates to Break Fast. In my opinion after fasting all night it's time to recharge in the morning and take in the nutritional fuel necessary to power our mind and body through the day.

Breakfast allows us to kick-start our day making this meal beneficial to both young and old. People who eat a healthy breakfast daily are more likely to

- Consume more vitamins, minerals and less of fat and cholesterol.
- Increased strength and endurance.
- Better concentration and productivity all day long.
- Control weight and
- Low cholesterol equals a lower risk of heart disease

Children who eat breakfast are likely to have better concentration, problem-solving skills, and better eye-hand coordination and are less likely to miss days of school.

If you think to skip this meal will help you lose weight, think again. Skipping this first meal of the day can send your body into starvation mode and make you crave for snacks especially sweets. Impulsive snacking on unhealthy foods can lead to weight gain. Try to choose healthy foods from at least two food groups each morning

- Fruits & Vegetables
- Grains
- Dairy
- Proteins

A glass of pure fruit juice, bananas, yogurt, low-calorie muesli with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, fresh fruit salad with few spoonfuls of low-fat yogurt, fresh and raw veggies mixed with flavored yogurt, a slice of toast or plain bread with eggs, boiled or poached are some good options for breakfast. Kids can enjoy a Smoothie with their favorite fruits; add a dash of yogurt or honey to make it more delicious.

The first thing I do in the morning is to rehydrate with a cup of tea or a glass of water and then try to eat as healthy as possible. If you look forward to eating different kinds of healthy foods for breakfast, you are less like to skip this meal. If time is your hurdle, think about packing your breakfast or eating on the 'run', its better than skipping breakfast altogether.