Breakfast

by Toluwani Oyesola February 1, 2021

Breakfast is the first meal of the day that is usually eaten in the morning. It is also arguably the most important meal of the day. In this article we will discuss the health benefits and importance of breakfast as well as the best food to eat in the morning.

Benefits of Breakfast

Appetite: Eating breakfast at the start of the day has been shown to decrease hunger and cravings throughout the day by a great amount. Eating a breakfast that is high in fibre and nutrient dense reduces the likelihood of feeling hungry throughout the day which results in the reduction of the amount of extra calories consumed in the day.

Memory: Carbohydrates have been found to be very essential for the healthy functioning of the brain. The consumption of high-quality whole-grain breakfast can help to improve the quality of the memory, concentration levels. It also helps to improve the mood and lower stress levels. Children that consume breakfast before leaving for school have shown to have better cognitive skills and perform better at school.

Blood Sugar: The consumption of breakfast has shown the capability of keeping the blood sugar level steady throughout the day. Which reduces the change in mood, nervous feeling, anger and grumpiness caused by spikes and drops in the blood sugar.

Diabetes: Some research has shown the possibility of reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes when people consume healthy breakfasts. An explanation for this is based on the fact that skipping breakfast results in insulin resistance, which is a common feature of type 2 diabetes. It is advised that people with diabetes check their blood sugar to observe the effects of their breakfast choices.

Weight: People the eat healthy breakfast have shown to have lower chances of being obese. It also results in them having healthy BMIs (Body Mass Index). Having an healthy breakfast should be on the top of the list of everyone that wants to attain weight loss.

Energy: It replenishes the body's supply of glucose which helps boost the energy level and alertness of the body.

Heart: Regular eating of healthy breakfast leads to reduction in the risk of various heart diseases such as atherosclerosis a disease caused by the narrowing and hardening of the arteries as a result of the buildup of plague, Heart attack and even stroke. While eating healthy breakfast is not a total prevention for these heart diseases it is a good place to start.

Skipping Breakfast

In recent times there have been a rise in the argument regarding what skipping breakfast really does for the body.

Some high-quality studies have shown that skipping breakfast makes you more hungry but does not necessarily make you fatter. However, this has not been well studied and understood. Some studies also claim that skipping breakfast has some health benefits for the body.

Skipping breakfast has been found to be on the top of many intermittent fasting methods. A method which involves a 16- hour overnight fasting and a 8-hour eating window.

This intermittent fasting has shown the ability to reduce calorie intake, increase weight loss and even improve metabolic health. Although it is not meant for everyone, as a result of the fact that despite the benefits it ha in some people in others it can cause negative effects like headaches, blood sugar drop, faintness and lack of concentration.

Ultimately, breakfast is a matter of personal preference, if you feel hungry in the morning have a breakfast but make sure you have one that is rich in protein and carbohydrates. However the benefits of breakfast are still valid.

Breakfast food

The basic formula for protein is pair protein with carbohydrates. The function of the carbohydrate is to provide the body with energy and give the brain the fuel needed to function, While the function of the protein is to provide adequate power and reduce the feeling of hunger. Food eaten for breakfast should consist of folate, calcium, iron, vitamin B and fibre.

Healthy breakfast choices includes:

Yogurt (low-fat greek)

Cottage cheese

Oatmeal

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Whole -wheat toast

High fibre cereal

Low-fat protein shake or smoothie

Nuts or Legumes

Not so good breakfast choices

Sugary cereals

White bread

Highly processed foods

At the end of the day breakfast still forms an important part of an healthy lifestyle and should be looked into.