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Breakfast: still the most important meal of the day
By Dan Swedberg – Merritt Herald
Published: December 15, 2011 10:00 AM
Q. I don’t have time for breakfast, do I lose weight when I skip a meal?
A. You’ve probably heard it before “ breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Just look at the root words break and fast. When you wake up your body is craving energy to sustain itself throughout the day. Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast have more energy and are less obese than those who do not. Also, if you consume an early breakfast you are less likely to overeat during other meals. If you’ve always been a person who doesn’t eat breakfast it may take a while initiate the habit or have your body digest normally early in the day. Once you’ve created the habit of eating breakfast your body should naturally respond to the change and you will see an improvement in your focus, energy and mood. If you don’t have time to prepare your morning meal and sit down to eat it, try making it the day before to have ready for when you wake up.
Q. What should I eat for breakfast?
A. It’s important to look at your personal fitness goals. Do you want to gain weight, or lose weight?
For the weight loss individual, smaller portions may be important factors to consider. Some of my favourite options for breakfast include:
• 1 cup of oatmeal with chopped apples, 2 tbsp raw almonds, 1 tsp cinnamon, cranberries, and 1 tbsp organic maple syrup
• Grapefruit with 1 slice of rye bread, and an omelette made with 1 large whole egg and 3 egg whites
• 1 cup of fat free Greek yogurt with ½ cup of blueberries, sliced strawberries and 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• My favourite Banana smoothie (tastes just like Booster Juice’s Banana’s-a-whey). ½ cup fat free half and half, ½ cup skim milk, 2 tbsp flax meal, 2 tbsp chopped walnuts, ¼ cup fat free Greek Yogurt, 1 ½ bananas. Blend and serve!
Pay attention to nutrition labels and remember that excess sugars can be stored as fat if the body does not burn the energy. Stay away from sugary cereals and try to balance your breakfast with healthy carbs, protein and fibre.
Q. Why would someone want to gain weight?
A. The misconception that gaining weight appears easier than losing weight is something I hear too often, but it’s not as easy as consuming boxes of doughnuts like Charlize Theron did for her role in Monster. It’s about gaining the right kind of weight, muscle rather than fat. Increasing muscle improves numerous things: improved performance for athletes, increased strength and endurance, faster reflexes. There are definitely obstacles to overcome for both the weight loss and weight gain individual, and nutrition plays a crucial role. For people wanting to gain weight you still want to maintain a balanced diet, not just increase protein. Too much excess protein intake, like consuming a lot of protein powders, can lead to health risks including dehydration which adds stress on the heart and kidneys when you exercise. It’s definitely important to seek the advice of a local dietician if you can; they can give you valuable information to healthily reach your goals, and can offer some insight and new ideas for things like your shopping list.
Dan Swedberg is a registered personal trainer. Send your fitness questions to [email protected].
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