What people eat for breakfast sets the pace for their entire day. The nutrients in food provide the chemicals that keep the human body functioning. Either different food/chemical combinations create a favorable balance to control energy and weight and keep people focused and mentally sharp, or they stress the body by overloading it with chemical imbalances.
Simple Carbohydrates
Randomly combined chemicals in a typical breakfast that includes sugary cereals, toast, bagels, pancakes, waffles, bacon and eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, doughnuts, muffins, and fast foods, wreak havoc on the body. Sugary cereals contain simple carbohydrates that provide quick energy, which just as quickly dissipates sending people in search of sugary snacks to boost energy, and caffeinated coffee or soda to keep them alert. Dietary fats are important for energy, growth and development, and absorbing vitamins, but not all fats are healthy. Saturated fats in bacon and sausages are linked to major illnesses, like heart disease and stroke. Chicken or turkey sausages are lower in fat and make a healthier choice.
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates in whole-grain products and non-starchy vegetables, keep blood sugar levels stable to provide continuous energy. Besides providing natural sweetness without the need for sugar, topping whole-grain cereal, like bran flakes, with fresh fruit, offers the benefit of fiber, vitamins and disease-fighting antioxidants. A whole grain bagel or muffin topped with sliced bananas and peanut butter, which is high in monounsaturated fats, makes a tasty treat for breakfast. Foods containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are heart healthy and help control cholesterol levels. Dieters need to remember to include peanut butter’s 200 calories per tablespoon in their daily total.
Protein
Eggs, lean meat, chicken, or fish, such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, provide healthier protein choices than high-fat bacon and sausage. In a pan lightly coated with butter spray, cook an omelet made with egg whites or more egg whites than yolks, salsa, and a few low-fat steak or chicken strips for a high-protein breakfast that keeps people feeling fuller longer. Other protein options include low-fat yogurt or low-fat cottage cheese mixed with fresh fruit and a handful of heart-healthy walnuts or almonds. Protein digestion takes longer and requires more calories than carbohydrate digestion, according to United Healthcare. The longer food remains in the digestive tract, the longer the feeling of fullness lasts, which makes a protein-rich breakfast beneficial to dieters.
Breakfast and Obesity
In a small study published in the journal Obesity, researchers monitored ten overweight teenage girls who normally skipped breakfast. Study participants were divided into three groups: breakfast skippers, breakfast eaters consuming normal protein meals, and breakfast eaters fed high-protein meals. During the study, functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, measured brain activity in the areas connected with food motivation and reward. At the end of the study, fMRI scans revealed a reduction in brain signals that activate hunger, which indicated prolonged feelings of satiety in participants fed a protein-rich breakfast. The results suggest a protein-rich breakfast might be beneficial in the struggle against obesity.
Components of a Healthy Breakfast
A healthy breakfast contains fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, low-fat proteins, healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, minimal saturated fats and no trans fats. A healthy breakfast contains fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and low-fat dairy and animal proteins – meat, chicken, turkey or fish. For people who prefer cereal for breakfast, the Mayo Clinic recommends eating whole grain, ready-to-eat cereals fortified with folate, because whole grains are not a natural source of this nutrient.
Sources
“Slow and Steady: How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off,” United Healthcare Weight Management Newsletter
Heather J. Leidy, “Neural Responses to Visual Food Stimuli After a Norman vs. Higher Protein Breakfast in Breakfast-Skipping Teens: A Pilot fMRI Study,” Obesity
Mayo Clinic Staff, “Nutrition and Healthy Eating”