We’ve learned from childhood that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” and there’s many reasons to support that. In today’s world it often feels challenging to slow down and manage our daily responsibilities, breakfast commonly goes out the window in the rush of our day to day. While there are people who can still thrive without breakfast, many would find benefit from building breakfast into their daily routines. Here’s 3 main reasons why we promote prioritizing breakfast
- You just went through 7-10 hour overnight fast. Eating breakfast restores fuel and nutrients to your system and lets your body know it’s ready for the activities of your day. Don’t solely rely on your cup of Joe to get you up. Breakfast will make you feel more alert, focused and energized.
- Breakfast helps curb the late-afternoon cravings. People often get late-afternoon cravings due to eating too few calories earlier in the day. If 4 o’clock rolls around and all you’ve eaten today is a sad salad, you’ve probably only consumed about 35% of your daily calories, with maybe 70% of your day already gone by. Of course you have cravings. Eat more earlier in the day so you avoid craving undesirable food later in the day.
- Brain fuel. did you know that while the brain only accounts for 2% of our body weight, it consumes ~20% of glucose-derived energy (aka the energy we get from the food we eat). That’s right, our brain needs a sh*t ton energy to function. Breakfast helps set your internal system up for success. A decent serving of grains and/or fruit, paired with a protein source and unsaturated fat source will make for a solid start to your day.
And if breakfast “isn’t your thing” for various reasons, start small. Drinking a protein shake (either pre-made or a scoop of whey protein + 8 ounces of water) is a great place to start. Plus it counts toward your hydration goal.
Or maybe you can’t stomach a short stack and eggs, but a piece of fruit or smoothie is manageable.
There’s tons of ways to start to incorporate breakfast into your routine. The beginning is always trial & error, but with time and consistency, you’ll begin to reap the benefits.
