| According to a recent ABC News poll, Americans
are showing a strong tendency
of ignoring Mom's advice by consistently
skipping breakfast. In fact, almost
half of the population between
the ages of 18 and 54 skip breakfast
on a regular basis. Skipping breakfast
has been shown to guarantee lower
performance at the workplace and
in the classroom, ensuring tired
brains, sluggish bodies and cranky
moods. There is a center in the
brain that registers when the
body is missing nutrients. By
mid-morning, many breakfast-cutters
may indulge in a pick-me-up like
coffee or a candy bar, but this
is hardly enough to truly sustain
the body until lunch time. Besides,
we're the most prone to making
unhealthy meal choices and eating
larger-than-life portions when
we're super-hungry. Let's keep
it real. What would a growling
stomach choose: a Big Mac with
fries or a Caesar salad? Are You
a Breakfast Bum? If breakfast
were a class, how often do you
cut? Many of us that don't eat
breakfast happen to have very
valid reasons as to why (or so
we think). Here's our response.
"I'm trying to lose weight" Skipping
meals does not help you to lose
weight. As a matter of fact, it
appears to make weight control
more difficult for reasons stated
above. Also, research shows people
that eat breakfast regularly tend
to be leaner than people who skip.
Let's put it this way: to help
the body to conserve energy as
it goes without food, the body's
metabolism slows while we sleep.
Feeding your body in the morning
gives your metabolism the jump
start it needs—giving you more
energy and allowing your body
to burn more calories throughout
the day. "I'm not hungry in the
morning" Don't get it twisted:
breakfast doesn't have to be a
full spread, four course meal.
A hard boiled egg (yolk removed)
with some hummus or just a small
cup of good cereal with some soy
milk will do the trick. "I don't
have time. I need my sleep" Let's
put this in perspective: the 10-15
minutes it takes to prepare and
consume a humble breakfast would
give you much more mileage than
that extra 10-15 minutes under
the covers. "No time-the kids
make it impossible" Stuffing your
kids' mouths with Pop Tarts or
Dunkin Donuts is not instilling
good breakfast habits in your
children. Studies show that children
perform better in school when
they've eaten a healthy breakfast.
We know it gets hectic, but breakfast
should be a priority and don't
forget to partake yourself. Children
who see their parents eat breakfast
are more likely to follow suit.
Besides, quality time with the
family seems to be dwindling these
days. How about you and the kids
sitting down for cereal using
this time to discuss plans for
the upcoming day? Heck, you can
even use paper bowls and plates!
"Breakfast makes me more hungry"
We guarantee you that a protein-rich,
Zone balanced breakfast will do
no such thing. Breakfasts consisting
of simple carbs such as white
bread, bagels, refined grains
such as corn and white rice and
sugary kids' cereals puts your
blood sugar on the high end of
the Richter scale. By that we
mean they have a high glycemic
index, which means they are broken
down into sugars in the body quickly.
When your blood sugar comes down
from the high, you're ready to
eat every and any thing that isn't
moving. Cereal selection is very
important. Remember that you are
counting on it for your day's
foundation. If you have used two
or more of these excuses for not
eating breakfast, then you should
definitely reevaluate your relationship
with the first meal of the day
and find a way to make breakfast
a part of your daily routine.
Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher.
More Zone Diet Information can
be found at http://www.stayinginthezone.com |
