The importance of having breakfast

Breakfast literally means 'to break the fast.' It replaces your glucose supply to help you feel more energised and alert, as well as supplying other vital nutrients for optimal health. Everyone should have a nutritious breakfast to help them prepare for the day ahead. Breakfast is regarded as the most important meal of the day, but up to one-third of us skip it on a daily basis.

Breakfast has been proven to offer several health advantages in numerous studies. It boosts your energy and concentration in the near term, and it can help you lose weight and lessen your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long run.

Here are some reasons why breakfast is the most essential meal of the day:

• It promotes healthy eating habits: breakfast eaters are more likely to consume more milk and less saturated fat than breakfast skippers. You'll also be more likely to consume the appropriate number of fruits and vegetables each day.
• The levels of sugar in your blood will be balanced: Breakfast aids in the breakdown of glucose, or blood sugar, in the body.
• Breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism, allowing you to burn calories throughout the day and avoid unwanted weight gain.
• Essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients are provided, including folate, calcium, iron, B vitamins, and fibre.
• Breakfast can help you focus, reason, and process information by stabilising your glucose levels and increasing your capacity to focus, reason, and process information.

Tips for a nutritious breakfast include:

• Nuts in Greek yoghurt
• Whole-grain cereal and blueberries
• Fruit on the side with avocado toast
• Vegetables with scrambled eggs
• Smoothies made with fresh fruit or vegetables, natural yoghurt, and milk with high-fibre bread
• Raw nuts and fresh fruits

Don't have enough time to cook breakfast in the morning:

• Make some simple and nutritious breakfast meals the night before or on the weekend, such as carrot and cucumber slices, healthy muffins, or overnight oats.
• Keep some breakfast foods on hand at work so you can eat them when you get there.
• Make it a habit to set your alarm 10 to 15 minutes earlier than normal to provide time for a home meal.
• Replace whatever time-wasting habits you have in the morning (such as reading emails or scrolling through social media) with breakfast.
• Prepare for the next day the night before to provide time for breakfast in the morning.

Don't want to eat in the morning?

Some people can't stomach food first thing in the morning, possibly because they have their final meal of the day late at night, or because traditional breakfast foods don't appeal to them, or because eating first thing in the morning upsets their stomach.

If eating first thing in the morning is tricky for you, you might want to try:

• New recipes to improve your breakfast appetite
• Having breakfast as a mid-morning snack

References:

https://blog.valleywisehealth.org/the-importance-of-eating-breakfast/

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/breakfast

https://blog.healthadvocate.com/2015/07/the-importance-of-eating-breakfast/