Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Breakfast of Champions

No, I'm not talking about Wheaties. What I am talking about is breakfast period. Your rocket fuel for the morning (alongside coffee, of course)! Personally, Wheaties doesn't do it for me but I am a huge breakfast eater as well as a huge advocator of eating a big, balanced breakfast. One that provides whole grain carbs, fiber, protein and healthy fat. A breakfast like this will start you off strong and keep you going for hours. The balance of nutrients gives you energy and prevents you from crashing from a sugar rush like you would after Fruity Pebbles.

Study after study reveals that people consume breakfast regularly weigh less. Although the stats differ from each study the logic remains the same. When you wake and feed your body you kick-start your metabolism and get everything going. Most importantly you replenish glycogen (sugar) storage in the liver and muscles after a long night sleep which will set your energy tank to full a give you a boost to make it through the morning. Breakfast is where you want to consume the bulk of your carbohydrates and the most calories per meal because your body will use them right away and throughout the course of the day.

When one waits to eat for a couple hours the body will set itself to a slight starvation mode because it's not receiving the energy it wants. Then when you do eat you are more likely to store those calories as fat for "survival purposes" rather than burning them as fuel (The body is an amazing thing and is created to take care of itself). Secondly, people who wait are more likely to eat more because they either waited too long and are now ravenous or they think, "Hey, I skipped breakfast so I can eat more!" WRONG. Too many calories at any one time will be stored as fat. Period.

To eat, or not to eat, that is not the question. Eat! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it doesn't have to be eggs and toast. While those two are a staple for me I have been known to consume leftover spaghetti and meatballs bright and early. To each his or her own!

Example breakfast:

Two large eggs, fried in a light spray of cooking oil
One piece of good whole wheat bread, I use ezekiel
1 cup berries





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