Thursday, August 27, 2009

Making the Effort to Eat a Healthy Breakfast

By Juan Valdez

Although we have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, many of us skip it for one reason or another. We may not be in the mood to eat early in the morning, we might not have time, or we might be trying to cut back on calories. However, this isn't really a good idea. There are a lot of reasons why it is important to get a healthy breakfast.

After sleeping the night, your body needs a healthy breakfast to help fuel it so it can get through the day. Think how long it has been since your last meal; that is a long time to go without food. It is better to eat something healthy so you don't end up eating junk a little later because you are starving.

Studies continue to show that skipping meals just sets you up to binge at later meals, and doesn't really save you any calories. In fact, people who eat a healthy breakfast eat less over the course of the day than people who skip breakfast. They are less likely to binge later in the day.

Benefits of eating a healthy breakfast include being better able to concentrate, getting more vitamins and minerals, being more productive and having lower cholesterol, among others. This really is the most important meal of the day.

The best breakfasts include whole grains, low fat protein, low fat dairy, and fruits or vegetables. You want to try to choose something that will fulfill at least two or three of these food groups.

Breakfast can be a very quick meal if you need it to be. You can even find a lot of healthy options that you can bring with you to eat on your way to your destination, or once you get there. Whole grain toast with peanut butter and an apple would be a good healthy breakfast, especially if you drink a glass of milk along with it.

The easiest way to ensure that you have time to eat breakfast is to plan ahead. Figure out what you want to eat the night before so you can have everything ready. You can even cook the night before to make mornings easier.

Since not everyone likes the foods that are usually considered breakfast food, it is important to add that breakfast can be made up of lunch or dinner foods if you prefer. You can eat a sandwich or pizza with vegetables and still be eating a good breakfast.

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