Breakfast fuels champions!

Still keeping track of your food and fluid intake? I know by this point it probably feels tedious, but I promise it will help you to make changes in your overall lifestyle and health.  The more we understand about our daily patterns the better we are at changing them.

Last week we explored the importance of eating 3 meals a day. This week we are going to begin to examine the importance of each meal and discuss the nutritional goals for the meals. Let’s start with the most important meal of the day….you guessed it…..BREAKFAST. Look at your daily food and fluid log. How many days in the past 2 weeks have you eaten breakfast?  If you skipped breakfast, I want you to write down why? Was it lack of time? Not hungry? Not sure what to eat? Skipping breakfast to cut back on calories? What?

You should be hungry within 30 minutes to 1 hr after waking up in the morning. This is a good thing!  Hunger pangs after a long period without eating help you to know that your metabolism is working. It also helps to tell you when your body is low on glucose (i.e. your body’s gasoline, or energy source).  Your body needs a fresh supply of glucose after a long period without eating.  Organs, such as your brain and heart cannot store glucose and therefore rely on you to routinely refuel them.  Studies show that people who eat breakfast are usually more productive and have the ability to concentrate better and problem solve. As a result breakfast eaters have a better attitude towards work and daily living activities.  Studies also show that people who skip breakfast have a tendency to be more moody, fatigued and distracted throughout the day. Both points are shown to be true in children and teenagers, as well as adults.  Remember children follow their parents habits….so if you start eating breakfast, they will too.

Now the question becomes….what should you eat for breakfast? If you are not a breakfast eater, then start small. Get your body used to the idea of eating breakfast. Our bodies are very smart and learn to adapt to the environment we give them. If you do not eat breakfast your body will adjust and figure out how to compensate. The bad thing is your body always overcompensates. Studies show that people who do not eat breakfast have a tendency to eat more throughout the rest of the day and tend to eat more fat calories especially, which in excess, the body stores as fat.  As a result, people who do not eat breakfast have a tendency to battle their weight. 

If you already eat breakfast…..perfect!   Let me see if I can give you some guidance on what foods to choose.  It is recommended for most people to consume the following:

1 serving of Fruit= 15 grams Carbohydrate

Examples:  Small apple, Clementine, 15 grapes, 10 cherries, half of a small banana, half of an orange or grapefruit, 1 cup of berries, small peach or plum, or any fruit that is the size of a tennis ball or can fit into a tennis ball

2 servings of high fiber Starch/bread = 30 grams Carbohydrate and >4 grams Dietary Fiber

Examples:  1 cup of high fiber cereal (more than 4 grams fiber/serving), 1 cup of oatmeal cooked, 1 pre-packaged high fiber oatmeal (more than 4 grams fiber/serving), 2 slices of whole wheat toast,  1 bagel thin, 1 sandwich thin, or 1 whole wheat English muffin

1 serving of milk/dairy (preferably fat free) = 15 grams Carbohydrate

Examples:  8 ounces of cow’s milk, 6 ounces of yogurt, 8 ounces of soy milk, or 8 ounces of almond milk

1 Fat serving, if you did not consume any from your dairy source (preferably mono- or poly- unsaturated) = 5 grams of fat

Examples:  2 teaspoons of peanut butter, 6-10 nuts, 2 tablespoons of light cream cheese, 2 pecans or walnuts, or 1 wedge of light laughing cow cheese

Remember…. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and can help you achieve success in weight loss and improving your overall health! Breakfast fuels champions!

XOXO!

The Dietnista