Breakfast may be an overrated thing in the modern culture as people never have enough time to cook or fix a meal in the morning. Everyone is rushing. You want to go to work, your kids have to leave for school, you may have thousands of chores around the house or you may simply be out of energy. No matter how your day is scheduled, should you even skip your breakfast? The answer is pretty simple- NO, Never!
What does ‘Breakfast’ mean?
Breakfast, breaking a fast, is the first meal of your day after 8-10 or 12 hours of fasting. Let’s say you had your dinner at 7 or 9 pm, and you woke up at 7 am. That would be 10-12 hours of fasting, wouldn’t it? Your body starts burning fat if you don’t eat anything for 12+ hours. However, the moment you eat anything, the fat burning stops. This is true but it doesn’t work in the long run. As soon as you break the fast, you will eat packed meals, poorly stored foods, stale snacks, junk, or simple carbohydrates. Again, these take your body back to storing fat instead of burning it.
Why is Breakfast important?
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. When you have your breakfast, it gives your body the first fresh energy of the day. You get to decide whether this energy will come from fruit, some nuts, a warm meal, or junk food. Even if the calories are the same, the quality of nutrition derived is different. Breakfast holds a lot of value as
- Boosts Metabolism
- Increases Circulation and Productivity
- Regulates Blood Sugar
- Boosts Nutrient Intake
- Supports Weight Management
- Improves Mood and Energy
- Improves Heart Health
- Enhances Muscle Maintenance
- Balances Hormones
- Promotes Healthy Digestion
- Improves Physical Performance
- Prevents Overeating
- Provides Hydration
- Sets a Positive Tone for the Day
What do we generally eat for breakfast?
Not everyone is equally active in the morning. Some feel lethargic and experience fatigue as an underlying symptom of a lifestyle disorder. Some feel hungry the moment they are up while some have nausea and struggle to eat. In most cases, people do not prefer cooking breakfast in the morning. In most houses, they have milk, tea, and coffee with ready-made snacks. It is not always wrong to have this as your breakfast, but making it a habit can cause long-term health issues.
All biscuits have palm oil, refined flour, sugar, and too many additives and preservatives. Do you really want to start your day with biscuits?
Chivda, Fafda, Sev Gathiya, Wafers, Bhakarvadi, and so many other dry snacks look dry, but they’re all fried in reheated poor-quality oils. Do you think your body wants that?
Well, in some traditions and cultures, people eat leftover foods. However, it is proven that many foods lose their nutritional value and cause flatulence when eaten stale. Now would you want your first meal to cause gas?
If you attended a birthday or had a birthday, some festivals, or any occasion, you would have a lot of sweets in your house. Most people are tempted to eat what is readily available in their fridge and sweets are the first thing they see as the brain perceives it as glucose and filling. I bet you don’t intend to spike your glucose levels first thing in the morning, do you?
You see a movie where people sit at their dining table with orange juice, cereal, and toast jam? That’s the worst kind of breakfast. All juices available in the market are heavily processed and contain lots of sugar, additives, emulsifiers, and dangerous ingredients. They rarely have any fruit in them. Wouldn’t you prefer to eat fruit instead?
I understand, you want things instant. Life is fast and cruel for most of us. But starting your day with a packet of instant noodles is not going to help you. Maggi or Ramen contain so much sodium that your ⅓rd of daily sodium requirement is fulfilled with just a small packet. It is not healthy at all. It makes you bloated, fat, acidic, and constipated too.
No one drinks tea or coffee without sugar or syrup nowadays. If you mix milk and sugar with coffee or tea, it becomes a sugar-spiking beverage. Tea and coffee also contain tannins that prevent the absorption of all nutrients. So if you consume anything with your tea or coffee, your body gets none of the nutrients. Also, this kind of sugary beverage may cause constipation or diarrhea with acidity in many individuals.
Okay, so what to consume for breakfast?
- Start your day slowly.
- Start with a full glass of water.
- Have some soaked dry fruits after water.
- Take a 15-20 minutes break and do some movements or exercises.
- Have your breakfast:
Khakhra: you can also have multigrain khakhras.
Upma: Add vegetables and it is quick to cook too.
Poha: Add sprouted moong, peanuts, and peas for protein and healthy fats.
Parathas: No extra butter, respect your body, and add vegetables.
Oatmeal: Add fruits and nuts
Wholegrain toast with Avocado/Eggs: Add nuts
Almond/Soy/Coconut Milk: Have a beverage packed with milk and nuts
Yogurt Smoothie: Yogurt with fruits is better than milk and fruits.
Besan Chilla: Add veggies (as many as possible)
- Always try for a quick yet warm meal.
- Make sure you hydrate yourself throughout the morning. Drink 3-4 glasses of water in the first four hours of waking up.
- Have tea/coffee an hour or two apart from any meal.
CONCLUSION
Since breakfast can be different in all regions and countries. It is not a box rule to eat just the suggested items. The key takeaway is to aim for at least 4 days of freshly cooked warm breakfast meals. This can improve your health greatly. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or put on weight, fight lifestyle diseases like thyroid, diabetes, PCOS/PCOD, anxiety, or simply trying to get healthier, breakfast plays a huge role so be careful.
I hope this blog helps you remain motivated. If you don’t start today, when will you start? Push yourself, try things, and achieve your better self with me! Stay tuned for the next health motivation.