You have probably read or been told that eating a healthy breakfast is important. Many people don’t eat in the morning because they are in a hurry or they grab something that is convenient, but not nutritious. If you don’t usually have a healthy breakfast, eating something nutritious before your day gets into full swing can provide numerous benefits.
Reasons to Eat Breakfast
Eating in the morning can help your body burn calories throughout the day. You fast while you are asleep and wake up with low blood sugar. If you eat breakfast, your body gets a signal that there will be enough calories coming throughout the day and that it should burn those calories. That gets your metabolism going. If you don’t eat breakfast, your body thinks it might not get enough calories and, therefore, conserves them.
Eating breakfast may help you control your weight. If you don’t eat in the morning, when you get hungry later, you may choose foods that are high in fat and sugar. Studies have found that people who lose weight and keep it off tend to eat breakfast every day. People who eat breakfast also generally have a lower body mass index than people who don’t.
Your body needs a variety of vitamins and nutrients to perform essential functions. Eating breakfast helps you get some of them early so you can get everything your body needs by the end of the day. People who eat breakfast tend to consume more essential vitamins and nutrients and less fat throughout the day than people who skip a morning meal.
Eating breakfast can help your physical and cognitive performance. If you don’t eat breakfast, you may not have enough energy to work and complete other tasks. You may also find it difficult to concentrate.
Breakfast is important for growing kids since they need nutrients to provide energy and to help keep them focused. They can become restless and irritable if they don’t get the nutrition they need. Kids who don’t eat breakfast are also more likely to eat unhealthy snacks and to be more overweight than those who eat in the morning.
What to Have for Breakfast
Choose foods that contain a combination of protein, healthy fats, fiber and carbohydrates. High-fiber cereal, toast and bagels; low-fat milk and yogurt; and fresh fruit are all good options.
If you don’t eat breakfast because you are rushed in the morning, buy or prepare breakfast foods in advance so you can grab something on the go. When shopping for processed breakfast foods, check the labels so you don’t buy foods that contain too much sugar. If you don’t want to have a large breakfast or don’t want to eat right away, try to eat something small within an hour of the time when you wake up.
