What's For Breakfast?

Most of us have heard about the importance of eating a nutritious breakfast every morning before starting our daily activities. But why? The answer is simple. Your brain and central nervous system run on a substance known as glucose. Think of glucose as the "fuel" your body needs to perform your daily activities, such as walking, talking, exercising, laundry, carrying on a conversation and, depending on our personal lifestyles, changing that first morning diaper or putting together the last-minute proposal for that multi-million dollar client. In a nutshell, your brain needs refueling after a good 8-hour (foodless!) sleep session to regenerate and begin its day. A good, healthy breakfast in the morning has been proven to perk up, among other things, problem solving abilities, memory retention, and concentration abilities, not to mention mend an otherwise unpleasant mood (which your co-workers and family members will undoubtedly appreciate a change in!).

Another reason not to skip that morning buffet is that, despite the reasonable idea that skipping a meal could result in weight loss, an afternoon void of a good breakfast can turn on you, causing you to crave and ultimately ingest unhealthy, empty calories in abundance. Skipping breakfast can also lead to the inability to recognize the "full" feeling, resulting in overeating at the next meal. This happens because our brains and our bodies are so hungry for nourishment, we tend to reach for simple carbohydrates, fatty foods or anything else that our minds see as "hearty" to satisfy the void that we may or not recognize as just that. Blood sugar plays a tremendous part in regulating the metabolism and blood sugar levels can begin to plummet within hours of a previous meal. Once you physically feel the hunger sensation, your blood sugar has already dropped dramatically, cueing you that it's time to refuel your body...and quick!

Of course, actually preparing and eating breakfast is a different story entirely. With the lifestyle of the general public today, most of us are lucky to grab a bagel on the way out the door at 7:00 AM and choke it down in the car in early-morning traffic, and a great number of us end up surviving the morning chaos on little more than a full thermos of coffee and a donut out of a box that a co-worker was kind enough to stop and pick up on the way in. If a quick granola bar and a glass of juice, or a piece of fresh fruit and a cereal bar are all that you have time for in the early morning hours, by all means, eat it! The rule of thumb is that anything is better than nothing, although the healthier variety you choose, the better your cause will be served. The good news is that there are many alternatives that will fit a busy lifestyle. Below are some quick breakfast ideas that can be made ahead of time or on the spot in a pinch and contain good complex carbohydrates, protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals that will be sure to encourage your brain to grant you with a successful and productive day!

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic