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Eating breakfast can be known to boosts your energy levels; people who eat it tend to be more active than their breakfast-skipping counterparts. It also serves to restore your glycogen levels, and as we know, the higher the levels, the better the metabolic processes (ie. you burn fat quicker). That on-the-go yogurt is start to look pretty good now, eh?
If you are one of the many people who find it challenging to prepare a balanced and healthy breakfast–especially on weekday mornings–as well as find the time to eat it, read on for two key tips our nutrition experts provided for navigating this morning meal with weight loss goals in mind. We these two rules in mind, it may be easier than you think to make the most of your breakfast instake!
Eating Simple Carbs
Eating simple carbohydrates and processed sugars like cereal, pancakes, waffles, etc., will result in a "metabolic cascade that leaves us depleted before we get a chance to start our day," Adrienne Youdim, MD, FACP is an internist who specializes in medical weight loss and nutrition tells us.
"These foods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar which is met by an equally rapid and large spike in insulin which then causes the blood sugar to plummet," she continues. This in turn causes the mid morning crash, the lethargy, lack of focus and brain fog. Yikes! "It is absolutely the worst thing to do for our bodies and our metabolism."
Skipping & Snacking
While skipping breakfast has gotten a bad rap, nutrition expert Kimberly Gomer, MS, RD, LDN, sets the records straight on the topic.
"It is a big misconception that not eating breakfast slows down metabolism. It is simply not true," she clarified. "What the research shows, however, is that folks who skip breakfast, sometimes will reach for unhealthy snacks mid morning as a result of skipping breakfast." Ahh, gotcha. So it's not the skipping of breakfast that gets you into trouble, its the not being prepared for what comes next (ie., hunger) mid-morning.
"The key is not *when* to eat, it is having the food planned so that healthy choices are available," the Director of Nutrition at Pritikin Longevity Center advises. "We want to listen to our bodies–eating when we are hungry–not eating by the clock." That makes perfect sense!
So--what should you have?
"The best combination for breakfast will include a lean protein source like egg whites, cottage cheese or fat free Greek yogurt, along with some veggies and berries it’s an awesome weight loss breakfast," Kimberly advises.
Dr. Youdim agrees: "A better option [for breakfast] is a high protein breakfast, eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, beans or grains will help control hunger hormones all day." She reminds us that complex carbohydrates, such as grains, beans, high fiber cereals and breads, will cause a steady rise in blood sugar that will "fuel your day rather than sap your energy."
