When you break your fast in the mornings, do so with a healthy meal. Too many times we fill up on junky food and feed the same to our children in the mornings causing us to have the mid morning munchies to supply our lack of energy.
A healthy morning meal should consist of a high quality protein such as free range eggs with bacon – yes I said bacon, along with healthy fats such as avocado and whole wheat toast. When I eat eggs I don’t separate the yolk from the egg white but consume the whole egg. Much of the nutrient is in the yolk and I don’t think we should panic because of the excess cholesterol.
Eating a big meal in the evenings can cause you to gain weight over the long run . . . . especially if eaten after eight o’ clock at night. You body will be digesting this food late into the night causing restless sleep and grogginess in the mornings.
If at all possible make a concerted effort to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper as the old saying goes.
Read the following article from the Globe and Mail for more information on the studies done to prove the efficacy of eating a good breakfast.
How eating a bigger breakfast can help you achieve your weight loss goals
LESLIE BECK
Special to The Globe and Mail
The question: I know breakfast is important, but I am trying to lose weight. What should I eat in the morning that’s filling but low in calories?
The answer: If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re better off eating more at breakfast, not less. Eating a big breakfast helps suppress hunger and cravings later in the day, making it a much easier task to cut portion sizes at your evening meal.
The big breakfast eaters lost twice as much weight over three months (19 versus 8 pounds) and said they felt less hungry during the day. They also had lower blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite and promotes fat storage, than the women who ate the low-calorie breakfast did.
The bottom line: Eating more in the morning can help you eat less food later on.
Getting into the habit of eating a big breakfast and a light, snack-sized dinner may help your body burn more calories, too. It’s been shown that it takes significantly more energy to digest, absorb and process a morning meal than an afternoon or evening meal.
If you are a fan of protein shakes for breakfast, you might want to rethink your morning menu. Studies have shown that solid foods will do a better job at curbing hunger than protein shakes.
Your breakfast should also include low-glycemic carbohydrates. Foods such as steel-cut oats, oat bran, whole grain rye bread, 100 per cent bran cereal, most types of fruit, yogurt and milk cause blood sugar and insulin to rise gradually, not quickly. High-glycemic foods on the other hand (e.g. white bread, toaster waffles, pastries, refined breakfast cereals), spike blood sugar and insulin, which can trigger hunger and inhibit the breakdown of body fat.
One study suggested that adding something sweet at breakfast – a square of dark chocolate, a small cookie or hard candy – can cut sweet cravings later in the day by preventing spikes in serotonin, a feel-good brain chemical.
One key, however, is breaking the habit of making dinner the largest meal of the day. If you don’t, you’ll wind up overeating and, very possibly, gaining weight. Eating a bigger breakfast that includes protein and carbohydrate will prevent you from arriving at your evening meal feeling famished. Aim for a light dinner of 3 to 6 ounces of grilled or baked protein and two cups of vegetables.
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P.S. I also prefer to exercise inn the mornings since this gives me ‘all day energy’. If you follow a similar routine, then it becomes important to have a healthy protein meal within a hour after finishing with your exercises. I have a good protein shake before a solid meal.
P.P.S. Visit How to Prevent Pre-diabetes for more information.