Breakfast Ideas to Jump-Start Your Day
It's amazing: It can help improve your memory, help you to concentrate, and help you to maintain a healthy weight - and it tastes good, too! So, what is it? Breakfast. Research has uncovered numerous benefits associated with the morning meal.
Feed your brain
Breakfast replenishes the fuel that your body uses up while you sleep - it is literally a break from an overnight fast. Because your brain does not have a storage place for fuel, it is particularly affected by the fast. If your brain's fuel source, glucose, isn't refilled after a night's sleep, your brain will not function at an optimal level. It would be like a car running on empty.
It's not just a theory. Studies have shown that breakfast helps your brain function at its best. According to one study, skipping breakfast has some effect on memory. Researchers reported that people who did not eat breakfast had a decreased ability to remember items from a word list or a story compared with people who did eat breakfast. While these may seem like minor tasks, the ability to remember is key to performing well at home, work, or school. Other important brain functions, such as the ability to pay attention and concentrate, have also been shown to improve with eating breakfast.
Maintain a healthy weight
Research has taught us that people who eat breakfast have a higher-quality diet and are better able to control their weight than people who skip the meal. In fact, 78% of the people listed in the Canadian National Weight Control Registry, a database of individuals who successfully lost at least 10% of their body weight and kept it off for at least one year, report eating breakfast every day. In addition, studies show that breakfast eaters are less likely to be obese than their meal-skipping counterparts.
Make it a habit
These tips can help you make breakfast a habit.
- Stock up. Be sure that you always have plenty of breakfast foods in the house.
- Plan ahead. Prepare your breakfast the night before to save yourself preparation time in the morning.
- Take it to go. Prepare commuter-friendly meals that you can grab on your way out the door.
- Don't force it. Don't make yourself eat foods you don't like. Try out different foods until you find something you enjoy.
Think outside the box
Whole grain cereal with low-fat milk is a great breakfast option. But go ahead and get creative: Try adding fruit or yogurt to your bowl or eating non-traditional morning foods for breakfast. It is important to choose from several different food groups such as high-fibre whole grains and low-fat dairy products and meats. Here are several options, or use your imagination to create your own morning meal that is both enjoyable and satisfying.
- Whole grain, high-fibre cereal with low-fat milk and a piece of fruit
- Whole grain, high-fibre bar and a cup of low-fat milk and a piece of fruit
- Toasted whole grain waffle with sliced fruit and yogurt
- All-natural peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat toast and a piece of fruit
- Whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese and a piece of fruit
- Reheated brown rice, a hard-boiled egg and a piece of fruit
- Grits with low-fat cheese and a piece of fruit
- Oatmeal with applesauce or raisins and a glass of milk
- Pita bread with low-fat yogurt and a piece of fruit
- Brown rice and beans with fruit
- Fruit smoothie blended with juice and yogurt and a whole grain muffin
I don't know about you,but I have not been consistant with my breakfast! You better believe i'm going to start...... (tomorrow)
I really hope these blogs are helping a lot of ppl.... I find them really informative myself,but again i'm posting this information to help YOU!
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