By Leigh Cutler
Whether you wake up ravenous, keen to get stuck into your morning meal, or if food is something you just can’t face first thing, one thing is for sure, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Breakfast literally means to “break your fast” and commonly refers to breaking the overnight fasting period. While current health trends such as intermittent fasting are sometimes seen to discourage breakfast, numerous studies suggest that eating a nutrient dense meal to start your day will set you up for better health success.
Top 4 reasons to eat breakfast
1. Energy vs Lethargy
Your body’s preferred fuel for energy is glucose which it obtains from the carbohydrates you consume, and which must be maintained regularly.
After a few hours, they are depleted, as per when you sleep or fast. Your body then shifts to converting glycogen or fat stores to maintain energy levels.
Eventually when glycogen stores are exhausted, and your body shifts to other less efficient ways maintain energy turning to processes such as gluconeogenesis which break down your protein tissues to provide it with the energy it requires. This can make you feel tired and lethargic.
2. Higher nutrient intake and better general health
Fuelling your body with nutrient dense foods which include a balance of protein, fibre-rich carbohydrates, healthy fats, and micronutrients help keep your body fit and healthy.
Numerous studies suggest that a nutrient dense breakfast may reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, or heart disease.
Food is the best, most bioavailable source of nutrients that humans need with breakfast providing 19-22% of daily dietary energy and over 20% of daily intakes of B vitamins, vitamins A and D, folate, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.
These important micronutrients keep the metabolic processes in your body ticking along smoothly giving you better health and energy.
3. Controls weight
Numerous studies have found that people who consume a good breakfast are far less likely to be overweight.
Skipping breakfast is related to higher metabolic risk including higher BMI, Insulin levels, waist circumference, Cholesterol and LDL.
Breakfast cereal consumers have been found to have lower BMI and waist circumferences. A healthy breakfast helps to control fluctuations in blood glucose levels and helps you to avoid the binge on calorie dense, nutrient poor (fatty/salty) choices.
People who eat breakfast are also correlated to those who tend to make better food and lifestyle choices5.
4. Boosts your brain
Breakfasts high in complex carbohydrates and micronutrients boost your brain power.
More than any organ in your body, your brain prefers glucose as its main energy source for optimum function.
It has been found that those who eat a nutritious breakfast perform better academically. It has also been correlated with better mental wellbeing with more alertness and better mental wellbeing with less incidences of depression.
Whenever you choose to break your fast, whether western-style cereal and eggs or an eastern influenced bowl miso soup, tofu, rice and pickles, ensure you make your first meal nutrient-dense, and full of both your macronutrients and micronutrients and you’ll be sure to set yourself up for health success.
3 ingredient Banana Muesli Cookie Recipe
- 3/4 cup muesli or Kialla flavoured overnight oats of choice
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 1T Melrose Liquid Coconut oil – or Melrose Organic Coconut Oil melted
- Mash banana
- Combine with the rest of the ingredients, mix well
- Shape and bake. Super easy!!
- 180C for 15 mins.
- Cool and eat. Makes 9 small moist cookies!!
