Skipping Breakfast?

We have all been told time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet the majority of the adult population chose to pass on the all important meal!  What's the big deal about breakfast anyway?  Well, think about it like this - the word breakfast, broken down, is break fast.  So, breakfast is the meal that breaks the fast that your body goes into every night while you are sleeping.

When breakfast is skipped, your body continues to fast until you eat later in the day.

You shouldn't skip breakfast because your brain needs fuel to function at its peak.  When you skip breakfast, your brain is forced to work extra hard to break down stored carbohydrates or turn fats and proteins into a useable form.  Eating breakfast has proven to improve concentration, increase your problem solving capabilities, enhance overall mental performance and even boost your memory and mood.

Another reason breakfast is so important is that it will ensure that your metabolism doesn't go into "starvation" mode.  Three to four hours after you eat, your metabolism shuts down and acts as if it needs to store food.  Eating breakfast communicates with your body the fact that you are healthy, well fed and not in need of extra fat storage.

Don't fool yourself by thinking that skipping breakfast will help you cut calories for the day.  You WILL end up taking the calories in later in the day when you start snacking because you are hungry and worse it will increase the chance that you will make bad "snacking" choices.  Allowing your body to become overly hungry leads to distorted satiety signals and leaves the door wide open for overeating.

I have tried numerous options for breakfast and have monitored how quickly I become hungry after eating each breakfast, which brings me the most nutritional value, etc.  Hands down I will tell you that oatmeal and egg whites is the winner.  First of all, it is easy to make and very quick if you are using instant oatmeal.  Plain oatmeal, generally speaking, offers 4 grams of fiber per cup.  Increasing your fiber intake will not only help you feel fuller, longer so you won't be looking for food again quickly but it also helps to lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol. 

Some suggestions for topping your oatmeal:

• Dried fruit
• Cinnamon
• Roasted/toasted nuts
• Fresh fruit
• Plain or flavored yogurt
• Jam
• Applesauce
• Ground flaxseed
• Protein powder

Eating a breakfast with a "slow release" carbohydrate, such as oatmeal, may help you burn more fat.  Slow release carbohydrates don't spike your blood sugar as high as eating refined carbohydrates such as white bread, bagels, etc.  In turn, insulin levels do not spike as high and because insulin plays a role in signaling your body to store fat, having lower levels will help you burn fat.

I am a breakfast fanatic and believe that as long as you are feeding yourself something healthy in the morning you are on the right track.  I have recommended Kashi Go Lean cereal for anyone that likes a cold cereal in the morning.  I have also recommended veggie, fruit and protein shakes for your morning meal. 

I am a sucker for some good oatmeal though.  This said, I tried an organic brand called Better Oats (http://www.betteroats.com/) this morning and fell in love with it! It is delicious and nutritious and there are a variety of flavors but I had Cinnamon Plum Spiced - TO DIE FOR!!!  I got mine at Shoppers Food Warehouse and I am not sure where else it is sold but I do HIGHLY recommend trying it for it's great taste and huge nutritional value!  I added 3 egg whites to my breakfast to punch up the protein intake but if you like oatmeal and want to try something even better for you, definitely give this a shot!