Start the day with a healthy breakfast
Breakfast is the most important food of the day. This meal is very important since it meets the needs of the nourishment after the 10 –12 hours of gap. An ideal breakfast must provide at least 30 to 40% of the total calorie requirement of a person. People generally target on this very important meal of the day when they are on a diet or if they want to skip the meal. Skipping breakfast is very harmful to the body.
What is a Healthy Breakfast?
Think of driving a vehicle with very little reserve of fuel in the morning. With this little reserve, you won’t get very far. This applies to your body also. Breakfast needs to have a good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate to provide the right amount of fuel to keep going through the morning. Sugary or high carbohydrate breakfasts will leave you high and dry by mid-morning. You will feel lethargic if you force your body to keep going all morning without any fuel. When you don’t have enough, you will start developing symptoms such as fatigue, loss of concentration, physical and mental exhaustion, and even insomnia. All these symptoms could occur within a matter of hours to as long as a period of several days. The brain needs fuel in the form of carbohydrates to start and run throughout the day. Your body is like a machine, so fuel it up. Fatty foods should be avoided and breakfast should be a light, fulfilling meal.
Eat a sustaining breakfast such as wholemeal toast, whole grain cereal porridge-like oats, wheat flakes, broken wheat, milk or yoghurt or eat a stuffed vegetable or cheese Rotis with curd or sandwiches with egg or cheese or idli, sambhar for a very healthy and wholesome diet.
Including some fresh fruits or fruit juices are also very healthy. They are extremely healthy, especially when you have them in the morning. They are a great source of carbohydrates and many essential nutrients. Another great way of having juice is putting it in your cereal. Recommended breakfast fruits are papayas, mangoes, apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, grapefruit, pears, pomegranate and apricots.
Milk is great for both body and mind. In addition to a great deal of calcium, it also contains lactose, which is a great source of carbohydrates for your mind. If you’re lactose intolerant, then try soymilk or groundnuts milk with your cereal.
School going children should never skip breakfast since it has proved that it causes lack of concentration in studies, weak memory, and stunted physical growth. It is also not advisable to skip breakfast when you are trying to lose weight. A good breakfast will stabilise your blood sugar, emotions, and nervous system. If diabetic patients avoid breakfast they may develop hypoglycaemia. Eating breakfast is a habit and it can be cultivated if parents help their children to imbibe good food habits. Teach them to begin their healthy food habits by breaking the fast and reducing the intake of fast food like pizzas, chips, and refined foods.
Breakfast Cereals.
The popularity of commercially produced breakfast cereals started from Dr John Harvey Kellogg who invented corn flakes in 1899. Today corn flakes and other variations on natural cereals based on corn, wheat, oats, rice or bran still share his aim of providing a high fibre, low-fat start a day. Oats is the most common breakfast cereal. Oats are digested and absorbed slowly and provides a steady release of energy that lasts for several hours. Most commercial breakfast cereals contain added nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals particularly the B vitamins and iron. However, they are usually high in added sugar particularly those brands aimed at the children’s market. Oats is also an important ingredient in muesli. The traditional mix is 30 percent rolled oats, 30 percent wheat flakes, 10 percent sultanas, 10 percent hazelnuts and 20 percent fresh apple or some other seasonal fruit. This combination makes an ideal food for maintaining proper bowel function by helping to guard against constipation and the soluble fibre present in it helps to lower the blood cholesterol levels so reducing the risk of heart diseases and stroke.
