Why You Should Eat Breakfast

Often people skip "the most important meal of the day". Sure, we're running late to work or too busy getting our kids breakfast, dressed, and out to school, but we are doing an injustice to ourselves here! Here's the top 3 reasons why we need to not only eat breakfast, but make it the best, most nutritious meal of the day.

1. Skipping breakfast isn't good for our metabolisms. Actually, skipping meals and not eating frequently enough isn't good either! Did you know that people who skip breakfast eat more snacks during the day, and have heavier meals later? Numerous studies have shown that you are less likely to be overweight if you eat a healthy breakfast. When we starve ourselves, we are essentially telling our bodies to hold onto the fat, not lose it. Not only does the first meal of the day heat up your metabolism to better burn calories, studies show that the effects of this "jump start" help keep the metabolism working at a higher rate throughout the day. Blood sugar levels rise up and remain higher longer, instead of having a quick drop off that might be generated by eating just high sugar content breakfast snack foods. Skipping this important meal does you no good at all. You will be hungry sooner, eat more later, and not have the good energy to function efficiently.

2. Not reason enough? Additional health benefits of eating breakfast include an increased ability to use your brain, an excellent idea for those younger ones who need to pay attention at school. Some dieters have found that they have better success by flipping their food intake, having dinner for breakfast and typical breakfast foods for dinner. The higher caloric intake at the breakfast meal allows the body to function better all day, and the impact of a good breakfast helps the body become less hungry at later meals. The body can burn off the higher calorie levels all day long, instead of having food sit idle at night, turning into fat with inactivity. Calories burn faster in the morning, following the breakfast meal, and the body metabolism slows down near nighttime.

3. Other health benefits of eating breakfast include a boost in concentration, energy and productivity levels. Eating high fiber breakfast foods like cereal, fruit, grains, nuts, and yogurt are lower calorie than snack foods like doughnuts or sweet rolls. They give you needed bulk in your diet, last longer, help you feel full and less hungry longer. High protein breakfast foods like eggs, milk, and meats are good breakfast foods, but watch out for the fats like butter and cream cheese. Always take fats in moderation. And lastly, eating a good, balanced breakfast has shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease and regulate cholesterol.