What’s In Your Breakfast And Why It Matters

I was recently reading an article on Mayoclinic.com about the benefits of a healthy breakfast, and started thinking about the tradition of the great American breakfast.  By now, most of us know how critical breakfast is in your daily diet.  All things being considered, it’s probably the most important meal of the day.  The etymology of the “breakfast” is pretty straight-forward.  You are involuntarily fasting while you’re asleep, and you “break fast” when you awake to eat.  History lesson aside, it is the most underrated meal of the day.

Benefits of Breakfast

Some of the benefits of breakfast include controlling weight, normalizing blood sugar levels, and increasing your focus and concentration.  Because of the rampant obesity in this country (and abroad), weight control is probably the most publicized benefit of breakfast.  Consuming something when you wake up will help regulate your blood sugar and make you less inclined to overeat later in the day.  Eating smaller meals throughout the day will do even more to further this goal.

Too Busy?

There are several reasons why folks don’t eat breakfast, but not having the time to prepare something is by far the most popular excuse.  The craziness of the morning juggling act of getting ready for work, getting kids ready for school, and commuting reduce breakfast to some sort of caffeinated beverage (soda, coffee, etc.) and pastry (doughnut, bagel, muffin, etc.) for most people.  The main caveat here is that this type of breakfast actually ends up being counterproductive for your blood sugar levels.  In other words, processed carbs like doughnuts, bagels, and muffins spike blood sugar and cause a crash after about 30-60 minutes of consuming them.  This will leave you hungry soon after eating and many people end up overindulging later in the day.  This vicious cycle continues day in, day out for most Americans.

Other popular American breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles, and even fruit juices are highly processed, high-glycemic carbs as well and have the same yo-yo effect on blood sugar.  Breakfast meats like eggs, bacon, and sausage are slightly better, but are high in sodium, saturated fats, and cholesterol.  Eggs are actually an ideal breakfast food, and have been called a “perfect protein” by many health experts.  But, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for variety…unless you rethink what you’ve been taught about breakfast.

Thinking Outside The Bagel

Since the traditional American breakfast is cheap to produce, multinational food companies and restaurant chains continue to market these high-glycemic foods as proper fuel for your morning grind.  The truth is that, your body doesn’t really care what’s considered “proper.”  Proper nutrition is the only constant, regardless of the time of day.  Most mornings, I bring a dark green lettuce salad (iceberg lettuce has little nutritional value) topped with an assortment of raw veggies.  I’ll also add some sort of meat, fish or soy to it to fulfill my protein requirement.  And, I top this off with an olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing.  It’s always interesting seeing the reactions of people when I eat this for breakfast.  In particular, I remember my mother saying “That ain’t breakfast food.”  I chuckled and politely challenged what she perceives as breakfast food.

And, I pose the same challenge to you.  If you’re reading this article, chances are that you either currently live healthy or are considering a healthy lifestyle.  By no means am I saying that everyone should eat an organic, raw salad with free-range meat every morning.  However, I am suggesting that your meal include a good mix of macro and micronutrients – lean protein (meat, fish, nuts), healthy fats (usually comes with lean protein), and veggies/fruits (phytonutrients, antioxidants, minerals).  Be creative and add a lot of variety to avoid boredom.  This is the most natural way to give your body the proper fuel it needs each morning.  It’s time to unlearn what we’ve been taught about American breakfast foods and think outside the bagel.

Plan You Work, Work Your Plan

Above all else, I’m a realist and I realize that these meals aren’t as easy as grabbing a blueberry muffin and a cup of joe.  They will take some effort and planning on your part.  The trade-off is that you’ll have more normalized blood-sugar levels, which means more sustained energy, focus, concentration and weight-control.  And hopefully, these eating habits make their way to other meals throughout your day as well.  Then, coupled with an exercise regimen, you’ll start to realize long-term benefits such as reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, obesity – the list goes on.

No related posts.