To live a healthy and active life, every meal is important. But the one that gets neglected the most is breakfast. Some have e notion that skipping breakfast will save on their daily calorie count. Others, who are probably staying up to late and so can't wake up earlier, don't have time for breakfast. But breakfast is important enough that it is a meal that you should eat 7 days a week.
Skipping breakfast is not part of a good plan to control weight. It can actually have a negative effect on your weight. The body will want to make up any calories that you miss from breakfast later in the day, so you will be more likely to eat unhealthy snacks and to over eat at later meals. Eating breakfast cuts down on the urge to snack between meals. It will also kickstart your metabolism, which has been slowed through the night as you sleep, and help you metabolize food more efficiently throughout the day.
Traditional breakfast foods fall into two categories - the healthy, and the deadly. the latter category is made up of foods high in sugar and saturated fats. Bacon, ham, donuts, sausage, and fried eggs make for a fine tasting meal, but will shorten your life.
A health breakfast gives you an opportunity to get the day started positively by allowing you to get focused on eating from the 5 food groups - whole grains, lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy. You have a great chance during breakfast to get a jump on your daily fiber intake. Focus on including whole grains like oat and cereals. Think Wheaties, not Froot Loops. These will provide a chunk of your daily fiber. Also, cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals which will give you some micro nutrients you might otherwise miss out on.
Other food to choose from include fruit, juices(pure juices, not cocktails with added sugar), skim milk, and low fat yogurt. I also enjoy whole grain toast, bagels, or English muffins with peanut butter or a fruit spread.
Eggs are a toss up. Personally, I'm not a fan of egg yolks. I understand that the yolk is full of goodness, but it is also full of cholesterol and calories. One egg yolk has about 200 grams of cholesterol, and the RDA is only 300 grams. So just 2 whole eggs will put you over the recommended daily limit. You'll have to make your own choice about eggs. I have an aversion to the yolks from my days of chunkiness when my cholesterol was high. If you want your egg with yolk but want to limit your cholesterol, try mixing 1 whole egg with a couple of egg whites. This might be a good compromise for your omelets and scrambled treats.
I usually have a bowl of oatmeal most mornings with some cinnamon and Splenda. Occasionally I add a banana or strawberries. If I'm board with that, I might instead have a whole wheat bagel with apple butter, an English muffin with peanut butter, or an egg white omelet.
My egg white omelets are hearty meals! I start with the whites from 5 eggs. If I have it left over from spaghetti, I like to add a little seasoned ground turkey. For veggies I include bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Finally, I'll top it with some fat free shredded cheddar, fresh pico de gallo if I've got it, and splash on some tabasco. I'll put that up to bacon and fried eggs any day.
If you must eat on the run, a dry toasted bagel, a banana or apple, or a bag of dry cereal are easy to eat in the car.
So for weight loss, weight control, health, and energy, make time for breakfast each morning.
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