Importance of breakfast Essay

Wonder why your mom is behind you everyday insisting on having breakfast when you leave for college, school or work? Well she is right. Breakfast is important for each one of us. Let’s find out how? Breakfast which literally means breaking an overnight fast is the first meal of the day. This is the most important meal of the day. According to Ayurveda as well, food is digested best in the morning. Thus, heavy food stuffs like paranthas, laddoos, etc. can be had in the morning. This is because body is constantly using up energy during night for important body functions like pumping blood to all the parts of the body, breathing, etc. Our body is starving the entire night while we are sleeping and using up stored energy for performing the vital functions. Hence, fueling body early morning is extremely important to maintain adequate blood sugar levels and prevent the body from fatigue and tiredness entire day. Breakfast is extremely important for children and adolescents, as children who have a proper breakfast are more likely to have better concentration, problem solving skills and better coordination than children who skipped breakfast. Breakfast eaters are at a lower risk of gaining weight compared to those who skip breakfast. This is because breakfast reduces hunger throughout the day and these people make better choices at lunch and other meals. On the contrary, people who skip breakfast thinking they can save a few calories tend to eat more at lunch and other meals leading to weight gain. The last meal for us is dinner and the difference between dinner and breakfast is nearly twelve hours. A person who skips breakfast, for him, this duration extends up to 16 hours approximately. Our body is constantly at work and needs energy for the same. If we extend the difference between our dinner and next meal, chances are there that we might get fatigued and tired early. This affects the quality of work we do. Hence for this, breakfast is needed. Research says that people who eat breakfast have healthier diet overall. They eat healthy and make healthier choices. Those who consume breakfast cereals consume more vitamins and minerals needed for body function. Breakfast also plays a role in improving mood as complex carbohydrate cereals have a positive effect on mood. Research published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that â€Å"breakfast omission is associated with an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes in men.† Having seen the benefits of breakfast, let us check out some healthy breakfast options: †¢Oats in milk with apple. †¢Egg white omellete with chapatti and orange juice. †¢Moong cheela and milkshake. †¢Cottage cheese (paneer)/sprouts parantha with lassi (low fat and sugar). †¢Broken wheat dalia/lapsi and buttermilk alongwith a fruit. †¢Oil free ragi idli/dosa with sambhar alongwith a fruit. Breakfast provides essential nutrients so that you can start off your day well and stay energetic throughout. Skipping breakfast will have detrimental effect on health in the long run. So, eat your breakfast wisely and stay energetic! Do you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? A good breakfast provides the nutrients that people need to start their day off right. Studies show that children who eat a good breakfast do better in school than children who do not. Studies also show a link between participation in the School Breakfast Program and improved academic performance and psycholsocial behavior. Children who eat a good breakfast tend to perform better in school, and have a better attendance and decreased hyperactivity. Children who don’t eat breakfast tend to perform not as well, and also tend to have behavior problems such as fighting, stealing, and not listening to their teachers (Dr. Ronald Kleinman, Harvard Medical School). The School Breakfast Program provides a nutritious meal to children who might otherwise not eat breakfast, and is designed to provide children with one-fourth of their daily nutrients. This program offers fruit, cold cereal and milk daily, and some Coldwater Schools buildings also offer a variety of hot dishes like breakfast pizza, pancake wraps, and oatmeal. If your child eats breakfast at home, choose a breakfast with milk, fruit and cereal(grain product). These three foods can provide for a good breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast does not need to take a lot of time. In the next column you will find some quick and healthy breakfast ideas. The importance of breakfast Everyone knows that the key to successful weight loss is a combination of regular exercise, healthy eating and a positive mind. There’s no point working out five days a week if you’re going to give in to temptation and inhale three kebabs and a packet of Tim Tams when you get home. Healthy eating doesn’t necessarily mean dieting, it refers instead to eating sensible, balanced amounts of the right foods at the right times – and that includes a good breakfast. There’s a reason why people have said for many years that â€Å"breakfast is the most important meal of the day†. After six, seven or eight hours – if you’re lucky – of sleep, your body and brain need some fuel to power and prepare them for the day ahead. Like a car, you can’t run on an empty tank, you need some petrol. It’s a well known fact that people who eat breakfast lose more weight than people who don’t and this is  due to several reasons : 1.Breakfast provides the energy your body requires in order to perform activities. Therefore, you’re not so tired and can do more. 2.It kickstarts the body into producing the enzymes needed to metabolise fat, helping to shed the pounds. 3.Eating a good breakfast keeps you full for longer and may make you less likely to reach for snacks. In addition, breakfast is generally good for you. Those who eat breakfast are 50 per cent less likely, according to US researchers, to have blood sugar problems. Consequently, they have a decreased risk of developing diabetes or having high cholesterol levels which could lead to heart disease. Also, some breakfast foods such as grains, seeds and dried fruit provide vitamins and minerals that are hard to find in other foods. People who don’t eat breakfast often complain that it’s â€Å"too early† to eat or that they don’t have time in the morning. Paltry excuses! Ways to rectify this include not eating too late the evening before, going to bed earlier or eating breakfast on the train/ bus on the way to work. Who wouldn’t want to eat breakfast with such an array of delicious morning munchies options available? Uninspired? Try some of these: Make your own muesli by toasting some oats, then adding seeds, nuts and fruit as desired. Slice a banana on top, garnish with blueberries and pour on some yoghurt . This high fibre option will keep you full until lunchtime and the nutrients derived from the seeds, nuts and fruit will do all sorts of good. Alternatively, how about blasting lots of lovely fruit up into a smoothie, which you could drink on the way to work? Smoothies are far more filling than you might imagine and allow you to be really creative. Experiment with flavour combinations, thin out a little with water, milk, fruit juice or low-fat yoghurt and enjoy. For traditionalists, two slices of wholemeal bread with a scraping of butter and some Vegemite or a bowl of whole-grain cereal is fine. Top with honey or dried fruit for sugar and splash over some semi-or skimmed milk to reduce the refined sugar and fat content. To say breakfast is the â€Å"most important† meal of the day underplays how significant it really is. Providing energy, nutrients and warding off chronic conditions, can you really afford not to eat it? mproved Grades Eating breakfast can improve cognitive performance, test scores and achievement scores in students, especially in younger children. According to  a study published in the journal â€Å"Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,† students who increased their participation in school breakfast programs had significantly higher math scores than students who skipped or rarely ate breakfast. As an added benefit, the group of students who increased breakfast participation also had decreased rates of tardiness and absences. Increased Concentration Students who eat a low-glycemic, balanced breakfast may have better concentration and more positive reactions to difficult tasks than students who eat a carbohydrate-laden breakfast. According to research published in â€Å"Physiology and Behavior,† students given a low-glycemic breakfast were able to sustain attention longer than children given a high-glycemic breakfast. Children following the low-glycemic breakfast plan also had improved memory and fewer signs of frustration when working on school tasks. Try old-fashioned oatmeal with a handful of walnuts or some scrambled eggs with spinach, peppers and a sprinkle of cheese. Weight Maintenance Eating breakfast regularly may also help students maintain a healthy weight. According to a study published in â€Å"Public Health Nutrition,† children who skipped breakfast in the morning were more likely to overeat and have a lower overall diet quality than children who ate breakfast every day. This led to increased body mass index, or BMI, measurements. Considerations While eating any breakfast is better than skipping breakfast altogether, some choices are better than others. Carbohydrate-only breakfasts, such as bagels and toast, can give energy for one to two hours, while complete breakfasts that contain a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates can keep blood sugar levels steady for hours, according to MealsMatter.org. Try some toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit or cereal with milk and glass of 100 percent fruit juice. If you have time, make an omelet with cheese, broccoli and some turkey bacon.