The Importance Of Eating Breakfast

Whenever food is talked about, the first thing that comes into people’s minds is eating- satisfying one’s tummy once again with all the delicious stuff. But, do people really know the significance of food in one’s system, and how does it contribute to people’s daily lifestyle? Food is one of the basic necessities of human beings. Without it, humans cannot live because food gives energy for all man’s activities- walking, talking, working, playing, reading, thinking and even breathing.

To sustain one’s body with nutritional food, a person would have three meals. The food that we take into our body is being converted to nutrients to heal and repair our cells and tissues. When we are asleep, our body is digesting the food that we have eaten; therefore we are fasting during these hours. In order to fill in nutrients in our body, we need to break the fast that has lasted for the last ten to twelve hours since the last meal of the previous day. We do this by eating the most important meal of the day-breakfast.

This single meal can have an astounding effect on a person’s day because it re-fuels the body for another day of endeavors. This meal can decide the entire outcome of a person’s day. Starting your day with a good breakfast is one of the best decisions you can make to live a productive and healthy lifestyle.

Definition of Breakfast

Breakfast provides the energy your body requires in order to perform activities. Therefore, you’re not so tired and can do more. It kick-starts the body into producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat, helping to shed the pounds.

Eating a good breakfast keeps you full for longer and may make you less likely to reach for snacks.A healthful breakfast jump-starts your day, provide an opportunity for nourishment and self-care and may significantly influence your moods, energy and abilities for the remainder of the day.

The Importance of Eating Breakfast

The exact meaning and importance of breakfast lies in the word itself. By eating breakfast, we are actually breaking the fast or long gap after dinner, the previous night. By the time we wake up in the morning, all our energy is used up and hence we need new energy to go through our daily routine. Students who do not eat or skip breakfast on a regular basis are at a high risk of developing gastroenteritis and several other health problems. Not only that, students have to face a lot of challenges in school and an empty stomach may come in the way of their progress. It has been observed that children who do not have their breakfast before going to school have problems, like headache, sleepiness, stomach pain, muscle fatigue. Indecisiveness, anger, anxiety, irritability, unhappiness, nervousness, lethargy, hostility, etc. are some other problems that can be seen in students who skip their breakfast. Such physical and psychological problems have the ability to hinder the learning process of students. Students who have the habit of eating breakfast have been reported to have better concentration during lessons than those who do not. Breakfast is also beneficial for the memory of the students as they are able to remember and retrieve already learned information quickly as well as accurately. Even their problem solving ability is enhanced by eating breakfast on a regular basis.

Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between eating breakfast and test scores. It is seen that students who have their breakfast regularly score better in their tests than those who avoid eating breakfast. As a healthy breakfast offers ¼ of the nutrition that the body requires, there are less chances that children will indulge in binge eating foods, like, fast foods which are not good for their health. Rather, they are likely to choose foods that are healthier as well as nutritious, later in the day.

Nearly fifty years of research shows that breakfast benefits children, teens and adults in many ways. Eating breakfast improves nutrition and health, provides energy, and boosts brain power. Eating breakfast has been significantly associated with better concentration and test scores, as well as improved weight. That’s true for adults and children. Children that eat breakfast make fewer trips to the school nurse, have fewer absences, and have less discipline problems. Children should never go to school hungry. Hunger has been linked to irritability and fatigue. It’s hard to learn and interact in a social environment when you’re irritated and tired.

Having an Ideal Breakfast

Ideally, breakfast should supply one-quarter to one-third of the day’s protein plus fiber-rich complex carbohydrates and a small amount of fat. The breakfasts served in school generally strive to meet most, if not all, these nutrient needs. Simple homemade meals that fulfill these criteria include a whole-grain cereal (cold or hot) with fruit and low-fat or skim milk; low-fat or nonfat yogurt with fruit and whole-wheat bread with jam or margarine; a shake made with yogurt, fruit and skim milk plus whole-wheat toast, or a turkey, cheese or peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread with fruit juice and milk.

Parents should provide a good example by eating breakfast themselves. Children are more likely to eat breakfast if someone eats with them. If that is not possible, at least try to sit with children while they eat.

In families where mornings are already overly loaded with demands, it helps to set up breakfast the night before. When my sons were young and I had to get out early, I often made them sandwiches for breakfast or set up pita pizzas they could pop into the toaster oven in the morning. If the boys were running late, they could eat these foods on the way to school.

The Right Food to Eat During Breakfast

It is important to make the most of your breakfast meal by including highly nutritious foods such as wholegrain breads and cereals, fruits, low-fat dairy or fortified soy products and nuts and seeds. Avoid foods high in fat, sugar and salt as these will simply take up the space of more nutritious foods. People who skip breakfast also generally find it difficult to achieve their daily nutrient requirements, so best to start packing in those nutrients early.

A healthy breakfast doesn’t need to be extravagant or take a long time to prepare. Try a simpler breakfast — something simple like a hard boiled egg, a piece of 100-percent whole grain toast along with a cup of 100-percent fruit juice. And there’s nothing wrong with a bowl of cold whole-grain cereal with berries and low-fat milk.

The Ideal Time to Eat Breakfast

One should eat breakfast within thirty minutes to an hour after waking up. Breakfast is very important for replenishing your blood sugar levels after 6-8 hours of sleep. This will help keep your blood sugar balanced, giving you more energy endurance.

Reasons Why People Skip Breakfast

Most people know why breakfast is the most noteworthy meal, though they at all times locate a method to skip it. There are many frequent excuses to justify why they don’t eat breakfast.

The majority of those who skip breakfast would say that they lack time to have their breakfast. They have a really difficult time on deciding what food to eat in the morning. Maybe they’re running late for their class or work or they do not have that much time to prepare an appetizing breakfast. Some would reason out that it would be okay because they still have their lunch time to eat their meal. People also reason out that they need extra time to sleep, skipping breakfast can mean that they can increase their sleeping time by thirty minutes or more.

Others would reason out that they do not have the appetite to eat breakfast. It is because they are too lazy, there is no delicious meal prepared, or they do not have any companion to eat with them. They would occasionally say that they do not feel hungry.

Some skip their breakfast because they are not aware of the benefits of breakfast. They think that it would not have an effect on their body if breakfast is skipped. Dieters also assume that if they skip a meal- which is breakfast, would seem to be the easiest one to skip, for they are going to consume less calories early in the morning, and therefore lose more weight.

Proofs that all these excuses are non-sense

Most of the individual’s excuses of missing breakfast are not really justifiable. In fact, there are explanations to counteract all their reasons. Listed below are some justifications.

Those who do not have enough time preparing their food early in the morning can have their meal planned ahead of time- maybe the night before or every start of a week. Also, if they do not want a hectic preparation of their meal, they can grab a fruit or a piece of bread and drink their meal, or any healthy meal that would somehow fill their hungry stomach. After eight hours of no food on your body do requires anything to fill it up so that it has energy to burn.

We all have hectic routines and are time and again over scheduled with work. Breakfast is a simple assessment to sacrifice in order to free up a fragment of added time for you to check your emails. In the long run yet, taking the time to sit down and eat a appropriate breakfast will truly offer you more time throughout the day. Fueling your body with the needed energy, your brain power is more focused, concentrated, enabling you to be much more efficient. Being more efficient all through the day means you can complete all your tasks more rapidly.

Why not manage your time well to be able to not rush in the morning so that you will have enough rest? Skipping breakfast is not a good reason to have a longer time to sleep. According to an article, “Loads of people don’t get adequate sleep as it is, so they think that by skipping breakfast, it could mean getting an added ½ hour of sleep in. By means of skipping breakfast, you are leaving your body no energy for the day, more so than the ½ hour of sleep assists to recharge you. Sacrificing ½ and hour of sleep to consume a nutritious breakfast will leave you more energized for much longer.” (Korver)

Generally, most individuals who leave out out breakfast do not feel hungry since their bodies have adapted to not getting its nutrition in the morning. Therefore, they do not feel hungry after their sleep. Even if you may well not feel hungry, your body in fact needs the fuel to start your day off.

Those who are dieting actually consume more food and would make them gain weight. Some experts believe that breakfast keeps your metabolism running higher because skipping meals causes the body to kick into ‘starvation’ mode. This sounds impressive, but it really isn’t what happens — it takes three or four days of eating nothing before the body starts gearing down your metabolism. It’s more likely that people who regularly eat breakfast also make good dietary choices the rest of the day. (Warren)

Whatever excuse people would make, breakfast must always be a part of one’s daily activity.

Tips to avoid skipping breakfast

To help you avoid skipping breakfast, here are some tips that one can follow:

One should be able to manage his/her time well in order to be early for the next day. Proper planning and preparation is also needed to avoid rushing in the morning. Prepare yourself earlier than your actual call time to be able to get your breakfast well prepared and to have a time to take your breakfast in a relaxed manner. But, if you are really running late, you can pack up your breakfast and while taking a ride to your destination, you can grab your meal.

Do not make any excuses to avoid breakfast. Keep in mind that breakfast is really very important for your body system. Avoid craving for delicious foods; instead, you may search for a healthy menu. In addition, Make a habit of eating together with your family at breakfast. You can also talk and discuss with your family members about the day ahead during the breakfast. This way you can develop a better relationship with your parents and children and also have fun while having breakfast.

To avoid skipping breakfast, you need to establish a game plan until eating first thing in the morning becomes a routine. To begin, aim for a breakfast that combines healthy carbohydrates, protein and fiber. A healthy breakfast does not need to take time or effort. There are numerous healthy breakfast options that can fit one’s diet plan.

Learn to refuse anyone who will put your health at risk by skipping breakfast. Tell them that you will have your meal first before attending to a work or favor that is asked of you.

Effects of Breakfast in Our Daily Activities

The effects of breakfast on school performance may depend partly on gender and mood, according to research presented at the 2003 European Nutrition Conference. While consuming any breakfast at all boosted attention and memory for all children studied, girls performed better when the breakfast included a more filling blend of protein and carbs instead of carbs alone, especially when those girls were in a negative mood. The combination of protein and carbs also improved performance in both genders as the test questions became more complex.

People who eat breakfast

Kids who fuel up in the morning with a breakfast high in carbohydrates and protein before heading off to school gain many benefits, both mental and physical. These benefits not only last throughout the school day, but also can contribute to overall health and school performance over the long term. According to the Healthy Children website, about 8 to 12 percent of school-age children skip breakfast entirely, and among adolescents, this rate is even higher, reaching up to 30 percent.

Kids who eat breakfast have better concentration during school hours than kids who skip the morning meal. According to pediatrician Dr. William Sears, children who eat breakfast also participate more in class discussions, are better able to handle complex problems in class and get better grades. In particular, a breakfast meal containing a balance of protein and complex carbohydrates boosts school performance for the remainder of the day.

People who skip breakfast

Skipping breakfast or making poor breakfast food choices may lead to reduced nutrient intake. According to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, a healthful breakfast can put you on track to make wise dietary choices throughout the day. Routine breakfast eaters tend to consume a more healthful overall diet — lower in fat and higher in nutrients — than non-breakfast eaters. To make the most of your breakfast, aim for a balanced meal containing healthful foods from all vital food groups, including fruits and/or vegetables; a healthful starch, such as whole-grain toast or oatmeal; a lean protein source, such as low-fat milk, yogurt or egg whites; and a healthful fat source, such as nuts, peanut butter or flax-seed.

Not eating a healthful breakfast can lead to reduced cognitive function. In other words, you may experience difficulty concentrating, learning or recalling information or performing well at work or school. In a study published in the “Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism” in 2002, researchers examined the breakfast habits of 97 inner-city elementary school students. One-third of these children were classified as being at “nutritional risk,” meaning they consumed a few nutrients and/or deficient amounts of calories at breakfast. These students demonstrated poorer attendance and grades and greater tardiness and behavioral problems compared to students who ate more healthful breakfast meals. After six months of eating prepared, healthful breakfasts, students formerly at nutritional risk showed improvements in math scores, behavior and attendance. Researchers concluded that prepared, healthful breakfast meals provide multiple school-related benefits for children. For potentially similar benefits, try planning or preparing healthful breakfast meals in advance. Healthy eating initiatives across the nation have advocated for children eating breakfast before school. In fact, many schools open early to serve breakfast for children who may not be served this important meal at home for whatever reason. A Centers for Disease Control report on guidelines for school health program states that skipping breakfast negatively impacts a school-aged child’s ability to effectively problem-solve. Students who consumed breakfast tested higher in standardized test scores, were absent less from school.

Breakfast supplies energy your body utilizes as fuel for daily activities. Skipping breakfast is linked with reduced physical activity, according to Zeratsky. A balanced breakfast promotes healthy blood sugar levels, which is important for preventing energy decline and irritability later in the day. To avoid these risks, steer clear of high-glycemic foods, or foods that have a significant impact on your blood sugar, such as sugary cereals, pastries and white bread.