Start Smart with Breakfast
Content by: NCES, Inc.
You have heard it before and yes breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day. Whether you start your day at 7:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m., you need to fuel your body and jump start your metabolism. Click to learn more and get started right!
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Breakfast is the first chance your body has to refuel. After 8 to 12 hours without a meal or snack, your glucose levels, also known as blood sugar, are low. Glucose is the main source of energy for your body; and without proper blood sugar levels your body cannot function at its best, whether it be for school, work or daily physical activities like going to the grocery store, cleaning your house, or gardening.
Eating breakfast can also help with proper weight loss and management. A nutritious breakfast will help you feel full longer and can help prevent you from snacking on high calorie foods later in the day. Studies show those who skip breakfast are more likely to over wart on fatty foods throughout the day.
Most people give a variety of reasons for not eating breakfast. A common reason is that they are not hungry in the morning, which can be a result of eating a large meal or snack late in the evening. While you are sleeping your body’s ability to digest foods slow down because you are in a resting state. Therefore, you are left with undigested food in your stomach in the morning leaving you with the feeling of being full when you wake up. A tired stomach does not feel like digesting breakfast after it worked all night. A good breakfast will keep you from being tired and irritable mid-morning. Another common reason heard is the people do not lie breakfast foods. What’s the harm in having a slice of veggie pizza, or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of milk and some fruit? Breakfast does not have to be the traditional eggs, toast, oatmeal or cereal. It can be anything you like, just make it low-fat and high in fiber and nutrients.
The effects of a skipped breakfast are short attention span, lack of alertness, longer reaction time, low blood sugar and decreased work productivity. In order to avoid these reactions, it is important to take time to eat a balanced breakfast. It’s a good investment of your time and once you get in the habit of eating breakfast, you may feel like your day isn’t complete without it.
Today's Tips!
#1. If you are one that sleeps late and doesn’t get up in time to eat breakfast, try some of these great ideas that you can take with you almost anywhere with little effort.
#2. Granola bars (make sure it has at least 3 grams of fiber per bar), string cheese, baby carrots, drinkable smoothies and trail mix (create your own by mixing dried cereal, dried fruit, raisins, nuts, etc.) are all great “to-go” breakfast ideas.
#3. Check out the trail mix combination below!
Next Steps.
Choose foods that energize your body!
Nuts for Nuts
Cashews
Peanuts
Almonds
Walnuts
Raisins
Power Mix
Dried red berries
Pistachios
Dried blueberries
Flaxseeds
Dark chocolate chips
Tropical Mix
Cashews
Brazil nuts
Dried mango
Coconut flakes
Banana chips.
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