Health Benefits Of Breakfast: Why Is It The Most Important Meal Of The Day?

'Oh no! I snoozed the alarm again and overslept. How will I make it to the 9 am briefing at office? Skip the shower? No...no...no…I skipped it yesterday too. Skip my breakfast? Yes, that will save me some time; anyways I want to lose weight.' Sounds familiar? Yes, that's what most of us do, often enough. We are so busy accommodating other chores in our daily life, that we forget the most important thing – our health. Believe it or not, but the old saying “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”, stands true today as well.We might not have time to have a lavish breakfast buffet spread like a king, but having even a healthy dish or two makes the difference. Breakfast, literally means break the fast. Since our body doesn't consume anything after dinner till we wake up the next morning, our body is famished. Having consumed the energy from last night's meal, we need to recharge our battery, which is on low level now. So, just a cup of tea doesn't suffice.
Reasons Why You Should Never Skip BreakfastThere are umpteen reasons to have a healthy breakfast.1. You start your day hungry, you get tired fast. Since your blood glucose levels haven't been restored to the normal levels, you are low on energy. 2. And when you get hungry, you grab anything available, sugary or fat laden. So, whoosh -there goes your diet out of the window.3. You try to concentrate hard and work on your most important presentation, but your body is like a car running on an empty petrol tank. Your brain refuses to pick up speed and concentration, because you forgot to stock up your body fuel.4. Because you skipped breakfast, your mood is low and stress levels high. You are irritable and your team bears the brunt.5. You are trying to lose weight since months, but the weighing scale hasn't budged even one mark backwards.  Why? It's because your body metabolism is going down instead of increasing. Staying hungry doesn't make you lose. Eating healthy makes it possible.
 
But does having a doughnut or the last night's leftover pizza slice for breakfast suffice. Do they provide the nutrition we need early morning to charge up for the full day ahead? There's a big question mark there. Your best bet is to have a mix of foods that have carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and fiber. And whipping up a healthy breakfast, which has all this nutrition, is no rocket science.1. Short on time? Grab a fruit (apples, bananas, pears, etc.)2. A glass of milk is easy to pour in even if you are running late.3. Grab a whole-wheat toast and smear with a light layer of butter. Yes, a little fat is good for you (if it's the right kind of fat).4. Plan ahead - before going for a shower, keep an egg on boil. By the time you return, your healthy dose of boiled egg would be ready.5. Don't go for packaged juices, regardless of the advertisements about vitamins and nutrition. Squeeze a glass of fresh orange juice in your kitchen.6. Eggs are a healthy treat in any form. They don't take much time to cook, so make scrambled eggs quickly to go with your healthy whole-wheat toast.7. Quick cooking oats are very nutritious and filling too. Their energy will make you run efficiently till lunchtime.8. Yoghurt smoothies are a good option too for a quick take on breakfast. Just pop in some berries or mango or banana in the blender along with some low fat yoghurt and your healthy drink is ready in two minutes.9. If you have time at hand, making a bowl of Poha or Upma or a couple of steamed Idlis, which will delight your taste buds and suffice your fiber needs too.
Now, stop making excuses for shortage of time, kick start your day with a healthy breakfast. Remember there's absolutely nothing you can do to make up for the mistake of not eating breakfast in the morning. Rise, Eat and then Shine.About the Author:
Chef Kunal Kapur is a well-recognized Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality known for his food-focused television shows, cookbook and most recently hosting High dignitary events in the country.Disclaimer:
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