Did You Have Your Breakfast Today?

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" I'm sure you heard that plenty of times from your mom or grandmother when you were a kid. And they were right—breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. Do you know why?

Let's look at the word breakfast and split it into it's parts–break then fast. When you wake up in the morning, you've just come off of an 8-12 hour fast. During sleep, your body undergoes many changes. It is the time when your muscles repair themselves, your brain processes new information learned during the day, and your immune system gets to recharge. Rest is vital to survival. But so too is fueling the body. When you awaken from your slumber, your blood sugar level is very low which means your energy tank is on empty. Compare your body to a car. In the morning, your gas tank is on empty. You won't be able to drive very far in this state, so you need to pump it full of gas to make it go. But not all gas is created equal. You could fill it full of cheap, low octane gas, but your car will drive poorly. On the other hand, you could fill it with high octane, quality fuel and your car will drive smoothly for hours.

This is where breakfast comes into play. There's plenty of research that has linked eating breakfast to greater success with losing weight, maintaining lost weight, and improved learning and concentration in school. According to the National Weight Control Registry, which compiles data from over 10,000 people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for a long time, eating breakfast is one of the behaviors that is key to success with weight control. In addition, studies have shown that people who eat breakfast are generally healthier than those who don't, likely because they consume more vitamins, minerals, and fiber throughout the day.

In the morning, within 60 minutes of waking, make sure to fuel your body with a smart breakfast. A bagel and cream cheese or a doughnut and some coffee with cream and sugar aren't going to cut it. These foods are just empty calories—refined carbohydrates and high in sugar and saturated fat. Instead, what you should be eating is a combination of protein, fiber, and fluid. The protein wakes up your brain and keeps you focused, the fiber keeps you full for longer, and fluid keeps you hydrated, giving you more energy. Some ideas include:

• Protein: egg, egg whites, cottage cheese, turkey, smoked salmon, almond or peanut butter, nuts, yogurt, milk
• Fiber: fruit, vegetables, salsa, whole grain cereal, whole grain bread/bagel/pita bread/English muffin, brown rice, corn tortilla, whole wheat tortilla, sweet potato, oatmeal
• Fluid: water, green tea, herbal tea, black tea, coffee (skip the cream and use nonfat or 1% milk)

If you aren't feeling creative or are not quite sure how to put it all together, try some of the following:

• Yogurt parfait: layer Greek yogurt with fresh, seasonal berries, granola, and chia seeds
• Breakfast burrito: scramble an egg with some turkey sausage, light shredded cheese, and fresh salsa and place in a whole wheat tortilla with a spoonful of guacamole; wrap and eat
• PB&PB: 2 slices sprouted grain bread spread with peanut or almond butter and sliced seasonal peaches and banana
• Smoothie: blend orange or pomegranate juice with 1 cup fruit (fresh or frozen), 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, and 1 tbs. chia seeds or ground flax seeds, and ice