Eat Breakfast
I’ve always heard nutritionists say breakfast was the most important meal of the day, but I never really understood why. Yes, it gives you energy, helps to jump start your day, blah blah blah. But why can’t brunch do the same thing? And why doesn’t my body want to eat first thing in the morning?
The whole ‘breakfast is important’ spiel always went in one ear and out the other until I ran across this article on 8 ways to control your cravings. First it explains why we having cravings:
Cravings are all about blood sugar. If your levels are consistent throughout the day, your eating patterns will be, too. But when you starve yourself for hours, cravings call. And you will answer.
Your blood sugar can fall too low after just four hours of not eating…so you search…for carbohydrates, which will provide a quick boost.
Trouble is, fast rising blood sugar triggers your pancreas to release a flood of insulin, a hormone that not only lowers blood sugar but also signals your body to store fat. And in about half of us, insulin tends to “overshoot,” which sends blood sugar crashing. This reinforces the binge, because it makes you crave sugar and starch again.
In other words, if you eat crap, your body will crave crap. Wow, I finally get it! It also explains why my sugar cravings are slowly diminishing. I’m training my body to eat in regular intervals and I’ve been making healthier food choices, so my blood sugar levels are stabilizing. The body is an amazing machine.
And it gets better. One of the 8 ways to control your cravings is to…
Eat Breakfast
Sure, you’ve heard this one before. But consider that if you sleep for 6 to 8 hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you reach work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is easy to find. The most convenient foods are often the same ones you should be avoiding. That’s because they’re usually packed with sugar (candy bars, soda), or other fast-digesting carbohydrates (cookies, chips).
If you don’t eat breakfast, you are literally STARVING your body. When your body goes into starvation mode, it stores fat and craves a quick pick me up – i.e. sugar! And the cycle repeats itself.
From this day forward and for the rest of my life, I vow to eat breakfast every single day. Even if it’s just a piece of toast with peanut butter, I will eat something as soon as I get out of bed.
Do you eat breakfast? What did you have this morning?
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Ok Ok! I’ll eat breakfast…. Thanks for the gentle reminder LOL!
My new mantra (heard at WW meeting):
‘Don’t do anything to lose weight today, that you can’t maintain for the rest of your life.’ Starving my body fits in that category – eh?
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I had chocolate milk for breakfast. Not the greatest, but it’s quick and I’m always in the mood for it, and I really, really need to keep my calcium intake up.
At least I don’t have a really crappy kind of chocolate milk. I put a spoonful of sugar and a spoonful of cocoa in a glass, mix them, add a spoonful of skim milk, mix them until smooth and shiny, then fill with skim milk and put in the microwave for 2 minutes. This makes a somewhat weak hot cocoa. Warning: my microwave is old: 1 minute 45 seconds used to be the right timing.
I also drink my vitamins down with this. Recently I realized that some vitamins are fat-soluble, so drinking them down with my skim milk was a waste. So I added two fish oil pills to the mix. I don’t know if that’s enough fat, but it can’t hurt.
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Very smart my dear! Now that I’m in the habit, I cannot leave the house without something in my stomach. If I’m going to the gym, I’ll eat a slice of wheat bread with peanut butter and either yogurt or fruit. Then I’ll eat oatmeal when I get to work.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
That’s my exact go to breakfast! LOL
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Mmmm, breakfast. I have to admit I’ve always been a fan – it’s my favorite meal of the day! This morning I had Cheerios with a sliced banana and soy milk . . . and a cup of black tea!
I do notice that when I run out of the house without something in my stomach I am craving sweets or carby-goodness by 9 or 10.
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Good post! Now, I must admit, I’m probably only 90% diligent in breaking my fast each morning. However, I’ve come a long way from years of eating nothing for breakfast (15 more minutes of shut-eye seemed more important during those years). I stumbled across the same information a couple of years ago and it was an eye-opener as to why my stomach fat was sticking around despite all of my exercise attempts to lose weight in that area. By not eating breakfast, I was fighting against my body instead of working with it. Ultimately, I was training my body to store all the fat possible from the two meals and unhealthy snacks I did eat during the day because it knew it wasn’t going to receive nutrients at breakfast time. Smart body, but not-so-smart manager of the body. Ha! My body was starving and I didn’t even know it!
All that to say yes, breakfast is extremely important, and yes, I did eat breakfast this morning: fresh pineapples, dried cranberries, almonds, cashews, yogurt, almond milk, and orange juice.
P.S. As women, we really need to get a handle on our belly fat. Too much of it increases our risk for heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, breast cancer, high blood pressure, gallbladder problem, and migraines. Oh yeah, happy Go Red Day!
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I finally got the message through my head in November last year. My understanding is to eat within the first 30 minutes of waking up. One of my first actions when I wake up is to set my bowl, the cereal (Special K, something fiber filled, of a Kashi box) and 8oz fat free milk (I love the Smart Balance Fat Free, Lactose free because regular milk can do a numbr on my stomach and I like it room temperature) on the counter. I set a piece of fruit by the sink.
After I’m dressed and while finalizing my final bag for the day, I eat my cereal. Then, when I put the bowl in the sink on my way out the door, I grab the fruit for my commute. It does and has made a real difference.
Before I started this practice, I would get to work 2 1/2 hrs after wake up and eat a huge crappy breakfast. Not anymore! By the time I get to work, all I want is my cup of tea (brown sugar, no milk, wedge of lemon) and I’m ok until my first snack (yogurt, nuts or more fruit).
So please, find the best way to set up the routine. It does work and it does help.
And Tina……I’m wearing my sexiest red brassiere and red sweater in honor of Go Red Day.
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I always, always, always eat breakfast! My blood sugar has a tendency to drop quickly, so I have to eat breakfast or I’ll be fainting by the time I get to work. During the week I eat a bowl of cereal, on the weekends I”ll make french toast, oatmeal, waffles, or pancakes with my kids.
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I don’t eat breakfast, skip it almost everyday. I know that I should eat something but I always put it off. I’ve done well with giving up coffee and not eating meat. So, I’ll jump out the window and give the breakfast commitment a try too.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Don’t jump out the window (lol) but your blood sugar will thank you for having breakfast. :-)
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Always eat breakfast. This morning was oatmeal. I’ve reintroduced my protein smoothies back into my breakfast routine. I prep them at night before going to bed so it only takes 2 minutes for me to blend them on my way out the door. I drink them on the way to work.
I also keep instant oatmeal at my desk. Some mornings its just some fruit. But I always eat breakfast. A healthy breakfast leads to a healthy snack (usually fruit) which leads to a healthy lunch – for me.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Hey, I’ve been thinking about how to add extra protein to my diet. I don’t get nearly enough. What kind of mix do you use?
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I full & fill myself up in the morning with a 8-12oz smoothie or I will have a fruit salad w/plenty of bananas , or I will juice a 8oz carrot/apple/ginger juice and I drink plenty of water, that will last me to noon and then I will do a salad or sandwich and etc.
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I love breakfast – even though I usually have to wait 10-15 minutes to “wake up enough” to eat.
Oatmeal or scrambled eggs are quick go to meals for me. Scrambled eggs because they are so filling, and oatmeal because it’s just so darn tasty and good for you.
Today though, I had toast with homemade spiced peach/blueberry jam. :)
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I am new. I must admit I don’t eat breakfast… sometimes I do but not consistently but I am. Its a lesson I know but I don’t practice. I enjoy reading your post and I have subscribed for them to come straight to my inbox :)
You are doing an awesome job!!
Keep it up!!
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Two eggs over easy and whole grain toast. It’s my insurance for having a decent day and not gorging on junk. I’m not hungry until lunch and it’s always worked for me. If I eat too many carbs then I’m hungry an hour later and usually leads me to overeat.
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One trick I’ve used to get a little more protein in my breakfast is to add a tablespoon or two of soy flakes to my oatmeal. Just throw it in with the oats, add a dash of extra water. They don’t change the taste and the texture is identical to the oatmeal so you don’t even notice them. In the past I’ve found them the in the bulk foods section of Whole Foods or our neighborhood co-op.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Thanks for the tip. I’ve been eating oatmeal more often lately (it’s an acquired taste…blah!), so I may have to try that.
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Yes, I eat breakfast every day. My go to breakfast is a multi-grain English muffin with olive oil spread and an once of 75 per cent fat free cheddar. Then, if I’m still hungry, I have a yogurt. I wash it down with a cup of hot tea.
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I must eat breakfast. I can really only exercise early morning so I have a small snack before I hit the gym (Ezekial bread with something on top) and then a fuller breakfast when I get to the office. Right now, I’m addicted to grits with a little cheese and cut up chicken breast for protein. I’m working on a healthier option – something a little more whole grain than grits. I don’t really like oatmeal though and I’m funny about eggs. I’ll figure something out though!
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After a good night’s sleep, I break my ‘fast’ with a glass of room temperature water with a little squeeze of lemon. It’s a subtle introduction to food again and gets my system going. Then I’ll have fruit, toast and egg whites or steel cut oats or a smoothie but I always have some fruit for breakfast.
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I eat breakfast every day, and for the last month, it’s been the same thing:
around two cups of berries, 1/2 a banana, a mix of juice and water, a few tablespoons of yogurt, and ground flaxseed, all blended together. It’s like having dessert for breakfast! I sometimes have that as a dessert at the end of the day, too.
If I have time, I’ll also make a hard boiled egg. Usually it’s my smoothie though. Once in awhile, I’ll have a late morning brunch with pancakes on the weekend (and on the rare occasion, bacon!), especially if our apartment smells like bacon from my bf’s late night snack …
Breakfast used to be fiber1 cereal (after being told I have to consume more fiber) or eggs with whole wheat toast, etc. I’ve noticed (since switching to my smoothies) that our groceries have gone up higher – berries (even frozen ones!) sure do add up – I’m spending around $12 on fruit for my breakfast alone each week. It used to be around $4! But, I also wasn’t eating my fruits, and now I’m getting them in all at once :)
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