Breakfast like a King

You must have heard the saying “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper”?

It’s basically saying front end load your daily eating and with good reason. But so often I hear people say – “I never eat breakfast”, or “I can only stomach coffee in the morning to get me going” – which is not a good strategy in many ways, not least because breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

The name “Breakfast” literally refers to “breaking the fast” – i.e. ending the fast that has taken place while we were sleeping. Going without food for 8 hours or more is a long time so it stands to reason we need to take fuel on board on waking. Eating a healthy breakfast gives you the energy to start the day and research has shown that people who eat breakfast are less likely to snack and make unhealthy food choices because they feel less hungry. Hunger tends to get the better of breakfast skippers and they tend to eat more at lunchtime and throughout the day. So it should come as no surprise that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.

So which are you? An eater or a skipper?

And even if you eat breakfast, are you making healthy choices? It’s been proven that adding some protein to your breakfast is much more effective at keeping you feeling fuller for longer than just having cereals. Eggs are a good source of protein for breakfast. Have you tried smoked salmon and poached eggs with spinach on wholegrain toast? Or what about a herby omelette with slices of tomato?

Not convinced?

Well here’s the scientific reason why it’s a good idea to eat a healthy breakfast……

Our stomachs produce hydrochloric acid in order to digest our food. It produces most of it first thing in the morning ready to digest the food we need to eat when we wake up to give us energy for the day’s activities. It stands to reason that if we don’t eat anything in order to give that acid a job to do, it has to do something such as attack our stomach lining or create problems with acid reflux. And that can start a viscous circle of not feeling like eating because we feel discomfort, so more acid is produced that isn’t utilised and so it goes on.

So if you are a breakfast skipper, make that one change tomorrow and see how your energy levels increase, your concentration improves and you don’t feel the urge to snack all day, which all adds up to a more effective weight management approach in case that’s something you need as well!

Till next time

Vicky Farmer
Feelgood Factor – The Holistic Approach to a Healthier Lifestyle

Vicky is a Nutrition Adviser and Elite Health Coach with a mission to help the nation achieve optimal health. We are all living longer so it’s really important to ensure we live as long and healthy a life as we can. Healthy eating, a natural approach to skincare and a reduction in the amount of harmful chemicals in the home all play a part in ensuring we are as healthy as we can be rather than simply not ill. For more information visit vickyfarmer.com

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