Should You Eat Breakfast?
Many people believe breakfast should be the most important meal of the day. As the saying goes, you should “breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper”. Basically it means the biggest and best meal of the day should be your breakfast, with meals getting smaller throughout the day. Also, if you skip breakfast, you may find you need more calories later in the day to keep your energy levels up.
Losing weight
A study by King’s College scientists showed that keeping calories down in the evening helps to fight obesity. They found people who ate the most in the morning had greater weight loss and better blood sugar levels, even if they consumed the same calories overall as people who did not eat breakfast.
Why have breakfast?
Breakfast literally means to break your fast. After a good night’s sleep, you’ll need to boost your energy levels to be able to work well during the day. Experts claim breakfast kick-starts our metabolism, keeps our energy levels up, helps us to concentrate and boosts alertness. These are all positive reasons why business people need to eat a hearty breakfast. Of course, it could be that people who sit down to a healthy breakfast are more conscious of what they eat and, therefore, have a nutritional and balanced diet overall. Those of us who are constantly battling against the clock or rushing to meetings and don’t have time for breakfast, may just grab a quick snack to keep them going.
What to eat for breakfast
Tucking into a full English breakfast of bacon and eggs is a lovely treat, but definitely should not be your choice too often. Likewise, many cereals are also not that good for you, because they are full of sugar. Your breakfast needs to be packed with protein and fibre to fight hunger pangs until lunchtime. The old saying “go to work on an egg” is wise advice, because eggs are full of protein, which curbs hunger. Although eggs also contain cholesterol, a study by the American Heart Association says that healthy people can eat an egg a day. Your eggs can be poached, boiled or scrambled, and served along with some fresh tomatoes and maybe spinach, for plenty of nutritious goodness. Porridge is another good way to start the day, and you can always make your own with a mix of toasted oatmeal, spelt and barley. Add fruits rather than sugar or honey, if you like it sweet.
Exotic breakfast ideas
If you don’t have much time to prepare your first meal of the day, then make sure you get plenty of fresh fruits and juices. We’re constantly being told how healthy the Mediterranean diet is, so why not try a Turkish breakfast of tea or coffee with cheese, olives and eggs, a Moroccan style breakfast with mint tea or coffee, olives, fruit and bread, or a Spanish breakfast of toasted bread spread with tomato and olive oil, along with a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice.