Reisterstown Gym Describes the Benefits of A Healthy Breakfast
Breakfast. A meal that many of us skip due to rushing around in the morning, or not being hungry after waking up. It’s been drilled into our heads that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and today I’m going to tell you that I agree with that. Not only does breakfast “break the fast” in which our bodies go through while we are sleeping, it helps set us up for success the rest of the day.
Think about it – how many times have you skipped breakfast then arrived to work and had a hard time focusing, or didn’t have the energy to do simple tasks? Having breakfast every single day is one of the best decisions you can make in the morning, and today I’m going to help you boost this powerful morning meal.
4 Killer Ways to Boost Your Breakfast
1. Eat within 1 Hour of Waking Up
Eating within this timeframe helps to wake up your metabolism and rev it up for the day. Since we are fasting while we are sleeping, it’s important to supply your metabolism with fuel (aka food) to help get it going. Not hungry right away in the morning? Then I recommend having a small snack to help get your body used to eating something in the morning.
2. Protein, Protein, Protein
Protein is the key to supporting our metabolism, satiety, energy levels, concentration, muscle growth, and more. Always make sure to include high-quality protein sources at breakfast such as organic eggs, plain Greek yogurt, natural peanut butter, or protein powders using whey or rice protein.
3. Go Easy on the Grains
When you think of a standard American breakfast, what foods typically come to mind? I’m guessing items such as cereal, oatmeal, toast, bagels, and muffins. Do you know what all of these foods have in common? They are very high in carbohydrates which all turn into sugar once they reach our bloodstream.
For example, a bagel may contain around 50 grams of carbs. This might not mean much, but when our body breaks it down, it equates to 12.5 tsp. of sugar! Now could you imagine eating that much sugar right out of a bowl in the morning? I sure hope not. I recommend having no more than 1/2 cup of grains per meal to help keep your meals balanced.
4. Add Vegetables
Wait, what? Sometimes I get funny looks when I recommend having vegetables at breakfast. It’s not something we are typically used to, but it’s such a simple change you can do to add more nutrients to your breakfast meal. So how can you incorporate vegetables into your breakfast? Try adding spinach or kale to a protein smoothie, sautéing broccoli or asparagus in an omelet, or having a “breakfast salad” with salad greens topped with eggs or nitrate-free sausage. The more vegetables you can incorporate throughout the day, the better, and why not start with having them in the morning too?
