The importance of a healthy breakfast:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s the first meal right after you get up. You need it to function and perform. After all, your body has been without food all night. During the night you use all the previous day’s nutrients for the recovery of your body. Research shows that you run short when you skip breakfast and you can’t make up for that shortage during the rest of the day. A good breakfast is therefore important in a healthy diet. It puts the digestive system and your intestines to work and stimulates bowel movements. In addition, a breakfast provides you with much-needed energy for sufficient concentration at work or at school. Also, breakfast is important for maintaining a healthy weight. If you don’t eat breakfast in the morning, your body will burn less calories. After all, there is no food intake and the body responds to this by going into low-power mode. As a result, you burn fewer calories and you will store fat. This is our body’s self-protection mechanism. T there is a good chance that if you do not have breakfast, you will start snacking. Compare yourself with a car: without the right fuel the car won’t drive!
5 reasons why breakfast is healthy
1. It gives you new energy
2. It gets your digestion going
3. You have less appetite for snacks
4. You are more productive
5. It provides a moment of rest before the day starts
New energy
After a night of sleep, your blood sugar (your energy level) is low and your body needs new energy to function properly. A nutritious breakfast gives your body this boost of energy. Food is the main source of energy for your body. You can think of food as fuel for your body.
Skipping breakfast keeps your blood sugar low, which can cause a bloated feeling or even a headache. In addition, low blood sugar has a negative effect on your mood; it can make you more irritable.
Breakfast gets your digestion going
In addition to getting energy, a nutrient-rich breakfast helps your digestion in the morning immediately. In other words, it puts your intestines to work. This allows you to digest everything you eat for the rest of the day a lot better and prevents the urge for snacks. Don’t you eat until later during the day? Then your metabolism and fat burning will not start until that moment.
Less appetite for snacks
A good start of the day with a breakfast full of nutrients ensures that you have less appetite for snacks during the day. If you skip breakfast, you will eat larger portions during the day. You also get more cravings for sweets (the well-known ‘snack attacks’), because your blood sugar level is too low and your body is screaming for energy (sugar). Skipping breakfast often has a negative effect on your weight.
More productive
A good breakfast ensures that you can concentrate and perform better, in other words, you are a lot more productive. Not eating breakfast affects your short-term memory. It is therefore extra important to have a good breakfast on work and school days.
A moment of rest before the day begins
By taking time for a nutritious breakfast in the morning, you immediately plan a moment of rest. This can make your day less stressful. Two birds with one stone!
Here’s a delicious healthy breakfast suggestion:
For one jar of granola you’ll need:
- 7 oz oatmeal flakes
- 2 ½ oz of walnuts
- 2 ½ oz of pecans
- 1 ½ oz of sunflower seeds
- 1 ½ oz of pumpkin seeds
- 2 ripe bananas
- pinch of cinnamon
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 tbsp cocoa nibs
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Mix the oat flakes, nuts and seeds together in a bowl. In another bowl, mash the bananas. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon. Mix the two mixtures together and toss well.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and divide the granola on it. Bake the granola for about 20/25 minutes until golden brown. Turn the granola well halfway through, so that both sides are cooked and golden brown. Remove the granola from the oven and add the cocoa nibs. Store the granola in a sealed/airtight container. You can store the granola for about a week.
What does personal trainer Anna eat for breakfast?
“For breakfast I usually have chocolate protein oats with frozen berries & black coffee.”
