What’s Stopping You from Eating Your Breakfast Today? Look Good, Feel Great with the Power of a Healthy Breakfast
“Eat
breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.” This
adage suggests that breakfast should constitute the most important meal of our
daily diet, followed by lunch, and end off with a light dinner. "Studies have shown that a healthy
breakfast has wide-ranging benefits for the human body, such as supporting
metabolism, boosting mental alertness and improving digestion," says Susan
Bowerman, Senior Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at
Herbalife.
Yet according to the Healthy Breakfast Survey
conducted in 11markets across the Asia Pacific region by Herbalife, 21 percent
of the Filipino respondents do not consume breakfast daily. While those who do,
have an unbalanced meal that comprises mainly carbohydrates in the morning. Too
often, breakfast is little more than toast, white rice, noodles or a cup of
coffee, tea or chocolate drink - all of which digest quickly, leaving people
hungry by mid-morning.
Skipping a breakfast
meal might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but the
side-effects could be detrimental to your health in the long run. For a start,
skipping your breakfast could lead to more cravings later in the day which makes
it harder to manage your weight.
Bowerman adds, “In
general, we tend to make bad food choices when we are starving, as we would be
more likely to indulge in food. Also, research has revealed that skipping your
breakfast could increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.”
By
contrast, starting the day with a good breakfast has many benefits. Consuming
your breakfast could do wonders for weight management, as food consumption releases gut hormones which control appetite,
having a sustained effect throughout the day and helping to reduce the number
of cravings. "Plus, there's less risk of heart disease and diabetes, while
you can improve muscle health, memory, energy and mood by starting the day
right."
A
study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also found that people who consume a high-protein breakfast tend to
eat fewer calories throughout the day compared to those who do not, due to the
appetite-suppressing effect from dietary protein, thus providing satiety
between meals.
But how can we practically incorporate a
healthy breakfast into our daily eating habits? According to Herbalife’s Healthy
Breakfast Survey, the top three motivators for Filipino respondents to adopt a regular breakfast diet are
if consuming breakfast contributes to health and well-being; if their breakfast
can help in giving them more energy; and if their breakfast can be made more
accessible to them.
With
this in mind, perhaps making a few simple changes to daily living might do the
trick – such as waking up 15 minutes earlier, opting for a quick and nutritious
breakfast fix, or getting a friend or loved one to join you for breakfast.
While this marks a positive start to a
long-term change in lifestyle habits, the type of breakfast choices one makes will
also have an impact on overall health and well-being.
When it comes to selecting just what to eat
for breakfast, Bowerman advocates following Herbalife's Global Nutrition
Philosophy, according to which our total daily calories should be comprised of
40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fats, along with
25g of fibre and eight glasses of water.
"A healthy, balanced breakfast should
provide you with an adequate amount of protein, while a few pieces of fruit or
vegetables can provide sustained energy and fibre. For healthy fats, nuts or
avocado can serve as a delicious energy source for your body," adds
Bowerman. "And if time is pressing, consider having a protein shake, like
the Herbalife Formula 1 Shake – which is easy to prepare and provides all the
nutrients required to start your day right."
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So, all you need to have a healthy breakfast each day is a little
time and commitment. Choose ingredients that are enjoyable and nutritious, and
you can make it a habit to start the day right and will soon enjoy the benefits as you feel and look
better, with more zest for life.
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