The health benefits of breakfast extend throughout the day, making it the most important meal of the day. Eating a good, hearty breakfast is like kick-starting a pump to help your body prepare for a full day of activity. The first meal of the day not only fires up your metabolism to burn calories better, studies show that the effect of this “jump start” helps keep your metabolism running at full speed throughout the day. Blood sugar levels rise and stay higher for longer, rather than having a rapid drop that could be produced by eating high-sugar breakfast snacks. Skipping this important meal won’t do you any good. You’ll be hungry sooner, eat more later, and not have the good energy to function efficiently.
Additional health benefits of breakfast include an increased ability to use your brain, an excellent idea for the younger ones who have to pay attention at school. Some dieters have found that they are more successful when they flip their food intake, eating dinner for breakfast and typical breakfast foods for dinner. The higher calorie intake at breakfast allows the body to function better throughout the day, and the effects of a good breakfast help the body feel less hungry at subsequent meals. The body can burn the higher amounts of calories throughout the day instead of food sitting idle at night and turning into fat through inactivity. Calories burn faster in the morning after breakfast and the body’s metabolism slows down towards the evening.
The opportunity to eat more food is another health benefit of breakfast. With a balanced breakfast followed by a moderate lunch and a lighter dinner, you can actually eat more. People who skip breakfast eat more snacks during the day and eat heavier meals later. It’s easier to incorporate protein, fiber, and fruit into a typical breakfast. Breakfast eaters exercise more because they have the energy, making personal fitness a byproduct of eating healthy breakfast meals.
The tangible health benefits of eating breakfast include an increase in focus, energy, and productivity. Eating high-fiber breakfast foods like muesli, fruit, grains, nuts, and yogurt are lower in calories than snacks like donuts or sweet rolls. They give you the bulk you need in your diet, last longer, and help you feel full longer and less hungry. High-protein breakfast foods like eggs, milk, and meat are good breakfast foods, but watch out for fats like butter and cream cheese. Always consume fats in moderation.
Eating breakfast improves your overall nutrition and helps reduce the risk of heart disease and regulate cholesterol levels. Breakfast is important for the body’s metabolism as it breaks the fast of sleep time; Long-term fasting doesn’t allow you to produce the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight. Extensive studies on this topic have been conducted by researchers at the Cleveland (OH) Mayo Clinic and Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital.
Thanks to Wendy Pan
