The Importance Of Breakfast: A Way To Lose Weight.

To many of us, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The benefits of eating well at the start of the day are many and varied.  It helps us replace spent carbohydrates such as glycogen which we use up during sleeping and it provides energy for morning activity. Indeed, the young cannot satisfy their energy needs if the first meal of the day is missed. Some basic research has shown missing breakfast reduces our energy levels and concentration throughout the day. In the Manual of Nutrition issued by the UK’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food back in 1995, recommended that “A person who feels unable to eat breakfast immediately on getting up should be encouraged to take a nutritious snack as soon as possible during the morning”.

There is also similar research which shows that those who eat well at the start of their day have a more nutritionally balanced diet which is lower in fat and higher in carbohydrate. This is simply because typical breakfast foods are generally lower in fat and have a higher fibre content. In fact, a number of suppliers of breakfast foods on their web-sites, believe that a breakfast should provide a quarter of the  daily need of essential energy and nutrients. Bowls of cereal with a fruit juice make a substantial contribution to this daily requirement for vitamins and minerals as well as being low in fat and high in fibre. Looking through various internet sites, I noticed a couple which provide nutritional information for a range of breakfast products amongst others:- http://caloriecount.about.com/tag/food/breakfast and http://fast-food-nutrition.findthebest.com/d/a/Breakfast.

To counter the increasing prevalence of obesity, eating well at the start of your day is seen as a major strategy to help us maintain body weight  (NIHCE, 2006). I’d  be interested to know if anyone is using this meal as a strategy to manage their BMI (body mass index) and general mood.

Reference

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. (2006) Obesity guidance on the prevention, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children (NICE clinical guideline 43). London: Health Development Agency.