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It's 8 p.m. The kids are in bed. You're eating a bowl of
ice cream and surfing the internet. It's 11 p.m. You fall
asleep. At 7 a.m. the alarm rings. You get up, shower,
dress, wake the kids, dress them and, by 8:30, you're out
the door. By 9 a.m. you are at the office and getting
prepared for your weekly staff meeting. What's wrong with
this scenario?
For 13 hours, your body has been fasting. How can you
expect to run efficiently throughout the day if you haven't
fueled up? When you go without eating for an extended
period of time, the brain reacts by sending signals to
the body that you are "starving" - the metabolism slows
to conserve energy.
When you finally eat again, the body thinks it needs to
reserve energy in preparation for more food deprivation.
Therefore it stores calories in the form of fat. So,
not eating can actually lead to weight gain. Some people
think that they actually eat more on the days that they
consume a morning meal, than on days that they don't eat.
Recent research debunks this belief. The study examined how
eating and then skipping breakfast altered the participants'
daily caloric intake. During the two-week interval when
participants skipped breakfast, they consumed 100 more
calories than during the two weeks when they ate breakfast.
Studies have also shown that people who eat breakfast
increase their metabolism and also:
Are less likely to be overweight
Eat less fat and cholesterol
Have more energy and better concentration throughout the day
Have healthier cholesterol levels
To keep you fuller longer, your morning meal should provide
a combo of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Also, aim for at
least 5 grams of fiber. Dodge the doughnuts, croissants and
high-sugar cereals, which provide little nutritional
benefit. Although your body physically needs calories,
optimizing the health impact of the calories you eat will
have a positive result on your health, energy and weight
goals.
Have breakfast as a
way of increasing your metabolism
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