One of my favorite, long-time sayings is, “Everyone’s body is different.” It seems obvious, doesn’t it? My genetic and physical makeup is different from yours. Well, of course. My husband’s reaction to going gluten-free is different from mine, even though both of us benefit from eliminating gluten from our diets. We benefit differently. Again…seems like a “DUH, that’s obvious!” moment.
Everyone says, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Let’s break(fast) that down, shall we? Couldn’t resist. Didn’t try too hard. Also. Who is this Everyone? Why do we listen to them?
A semi-regular-ish daily schedule looks something like this: wake up, eat breakfast, go about your morning, eat lunch, go about your afternoon, eat dinner, go about your evening, sleep, repeat. Food is fuel. (Food is fun, too, but that’s a different topic.)
Imagine going without fuel from that dinner period to well past that breakfast period. Your body needs fuel to function. You need those nutrients from a healthy, well-balanced breakfast in order to get from point A to point B and point Z and you get the point. If you don’t eat SOMETHING for the first meal of the day, do you find yourself snacking on less-than-healthy stuff in between meals? That can be a problematic side effect of not eating breakfast.
Skipping breakfast may (emphasis on may; the research is incomplete) increase chances of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Eating breakfast may potentially improve your memory. Eating early in the day can help regulate your blood sugar and your hunger levels. Blood sugar control is also typically best early in the day. And keep in mind the research, as I said, is incomplete.
“But, Jolie, I don’t like breakfast food.”
“Ok. Have a bowl of soup. Have a pork chop. Open a can of garbanzo beans, drain them, and add feta. Whatever. Have a meal of some kind! Really!”
I discovered a while back that I NEED protein for breakfast in order not to snack excessively between breakfast and lunch. Most of the time, I get that protein in the form of some kind of egg dish, whether it’s gluten-free egg-in-a-hole, or scrambled eggs, or eggs baked on veggies of some sort. Sometimes, it’s yogurt, but too many yogurts that are edible have too much sugar, which for me cancels out the effects of having protein. Sometimes it’s oatmeal, or cereal, and on rare occasions toast. But mostly it’s eggs. Sometimes with bacon, but not every day. My cholesterol count can handle eggs daily. Bacon daily? Nope, not so much. YES, I KNOW. Jolie doesn’t have bacon daily. I’m sure you’re shocked. Remember me? Health coach me? LOL!
What do you like to have for breakfast? If you aren’t a breakfast-eater, what would get you to change your mind?
Cheers! Here’s to your health!