Eat Your Breakfast!

At the risk of having you roll your eyes and stop reading this, I am going to say it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I know, I know. You have heard it all before. Those of you who religiously eat breakfast are probably thinking what else could I possibly tell you that you don’t already know….probably not much. I’d probably be preaching to the choir. I am hoping to convince a few of the non-believers amongst us. You know, those unconvinced folks that are likely smirking at the idea of having their minds changed on the subject. After all, you have not eaten breakfast up to this point, and you don’t intend to start.

I guess my question to all those anti-breakfasters out there would be, “why not?” What is your objection to eating breakfast? It cannot be that you are afraid of taking in more calories and gaining weight. That could not be it because numerous studies have actually shown that eating breakfast helps weight loss and is woman eating breakfast, woman eating cereal, eating breakfast, eating cerealan effective tool for controlling weight. When you eat breakfast regularly, you tend to eat fewer calories and less saturated fat and cholesterol throughout the day. It cannot be an objection to eating the sugary cereals, donuts, and waffles typically associated with breakfast. Heck, I would object to that kind of breakfast too! However, I am sure you know there is a mountain of healthy alternatives such as whole grain rolls and muffins, hard-boiled eggs, low-fat yogurts and cottage cheeses, leans meats, and fruit smoothies. Maybe you are one of those people who just cannot stomach food first thing in the morning. I understand that, but starting out with a glass of fruit juice, a dry piece of whole-grain toast or a piece of fruit can at least jump start your metabolism and ensure your body has fuel after going without anything for probably the last 6 to 12 hours. Knowing you can start with something small like juice or toast, and a few hours later eat a more nutritional snack when your stomach settles shouldn’t stand in your way of eating breakfast. If these are not your objections to eating breakfast, then I bet it’s the old tried and true, “I don’t have time.” If that is your excuse, then I have a few suggestions that can help you overcome this one.

Get up 15 minutes early. I know the idea of sacrificing 15-minutes of well-earned sleep doesn’t seem like an attractive proposition, but the trade off for those mere 15-minutes is a long list of health benefits that will make it worthwhile.

Keep a healthy stash of convenient foods at home or work. If you just can’t eat breakfast at home because you are racing around trying to get the kids out the door and yourself ready for work, then take a package of multi-grain bagels and a jar of peanut butter to work and keep it in your desk. A bowl of fruit or a few hardboiled eggs kept in the refrigerator are other great ways to grab a quick and convenient breakfast while on the go.

Think small. Breakfast is important, but it doesn’t have to be a big affair to reap the rewards. Bigger is not better in this case. A well-balanced meal of carbohydrates, proteins and fats can often come in small packages. Think fruit smoothies made with fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, milk and protein powder or how about a homemade cereal bar you can make on the weekend and store in the refrigerator. I have even included one I found for Muesli Breakfast Bars on the Mayo Clinic website that’s worth trying.

Objections to eating breakfast, as Humphrey Bogart would say, just “don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” Okay, so maybe I ad-libbed a bit, but I think you get the point. Obstacles are meant to be overcome. You need to overcome your own objections, whatever they may be, to eating breakfast, if you are serious about getting and/or remaining healthy.