Yes. A healthy diet includes breakfast every morning.
If you do not currently eat breakfast, make an effort to start. If you think you’re too busy in the morning, prepare as much as you can the night before. If you can’t stomach anything first thing, take your breakfast to go and eat once you get into work or school.
People who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:
• Consume more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol
• Have better concentration and productivity throughout the morning
• Control their weight
• Have lower cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease
Skipping breakfast often means eating more calories later in the day. One study reported that missing breakfast was associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of obesity. (Harvard Men’s Health Watch)
After a long period of not eating (overnight) our blood sugar begins to drop. Low blood sugar will stimulate the body to crave sweets and other unhealthy foods. Often we will end up snacking our way through the morning or find ourselves tempted to overeat or make unhealthy choices at lunch in order to satisfy our hunger.
In general – think protein and fiber for breakfast.
Both protein and fiber in the morning will help to slow digestion as well as the absorption of sugars (carbohydrates). This means that you will be full for longer and energy will remain consistent throughout the morning – eliminating the need for an extra coffee and preventing that ravishing hunger at lunch time.
Diets high in fiber are also known to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even intestinal polyps and colon cancer.