Guest guest Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 > Why Eat Breakfast? > > > by : > > One of my main questions when performing a nutrition evaluation > is " Do you eat breakfast? " More than half of those people have an > excuse like " I'm too busy " or " it upsets my stomach. " > > We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, > but do you know why? > > 1. Performance. People who eat breakfast perform better - period. > They have a more positive attitude toward what they have to > accomplish that day. > 2. Weight Control. Breakfast eaters tend to maintain their weight > better. Studies have shown that skipping breakfast actually > contributes to weight gain in several ways. > > According to dietician Jodi Welt-Furman, breakfast skippers are more > likely to compensate for the loss of calories at breakfast by eating > more later in the day. Breakfast skippers tend to eat high-fat, high- > sugar snacks mid-morning to get them through til lunch, then eat a > bigger lunch than breakfast eaters. By the end of the day, breakfast- > skippers consume MORE calories than breakfast eaters. > > " The importance of breakfast is in blood sugar control and metabolic > control, which in turn controls your weight, " says Welt-Furman. " When > you wake up, your metabolic rate and blood sugar are very low, and > you need to jump-start your metabolism in order to help your body > burn calories. Without breakfast, you've done nothing to stimulate > your metabolism or balance your blood sugar. " > > The body reacts to this by going into " conservation mode. " You're > body thinks it's starving so it holds onto every calorie you consume. > The key is to eat a breakfast that will keep your body fueled as long > as possible, choosing foods from various levels in the food pyramid: > grains, fruits and healthy protein (fat-free milk, peanut butter, or > egg-substitute are good choices). > > An orange is better than orange juice because it's a more complex > carbohydrate. Whole foods also have more fiber, which takes longer to > digest. Throwing in protein helps delay a blood sugar drop. > > A 10 year AMA study pointed out that fiber is another factor in > weight control. Subjects who ate about 21 grams of fiber per day > weighed an average of 8 pounds less than those whose diets were fiber- > poor. Imagine how well you'd fare if you met the 25-30 gram RDA > recommendation! High fiber breakfast cereals are an easy way to help > meet that goal. > > If you do get an upset tummy in the morning, wait an hour or two > after waking and try something small, like a piece of whole grain > toast with peanut butter or half a bagel with low-fat cream cheese. > Even a banana or low-sugar granola bar is better than nothing at all. > Too busy? Again--grab a banana or breakfast bar! That is, if you > really want the extra mind boost and help with weight maintenance. > > > ~Stacie > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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