Everyday + Breakfast = A Happy, Healthy You
There are things in this world that I just can’t wrap my brain around. Black holes, any algebraic equation — and how people can skip breakfast. Oh, I can grasp the concept, it’s the how part I don’t get. Are they not of this world? Why are they not fainting or writhing around on the floor holding their empty innards? If they do manage to survive a morning without sustenance, how can they not be dull-witted and slack-jawed, the energetic equivalent of the “walking dead?”
Once my eyes pop open, my stomach grumbles and I start thinking of food. A cup of coffee can hold the hunger at bay for a bit, but I would never, ever dream of intentionally leaving the house without something in my belly. A “fasting” morning blood draw is akin to torture in my book; I pack snacks just for the drive home.
Breakfast is a trendsetter. Start your day with a healthy meal, and you’ve put a pattern in motion, readying your body for its next nutritional snack or meal. Leave for work hungry, grab a sugar-filled muffin at the local mini-mart (try and convince yourself those little-bitty blue chunks are actually fruit) and an hour later you’re making your way to the vending machine.
Perhaps you are turned off by regular breakfast foods; I get that. Some days even my favorites don’t sound good. Think outside the cereal box. Spicy black beans and rice make a great morning dish and are a considered a staple breakfast food in many South American countries. And for those who claim they don’t have the time — check out my post on cheese for a stick-to-your-ribs slightly sweet breakfast that you can eat in the car.
People who start their day right tend to have more energy, better cholesterol and consistent blood sugar levels, and have an easier time maintaining their weight. The skippers have been found to binge more frequently, have more gastrointestinal upset and actually consume more calories later on in the day.
So back to my original conundrum, how the hell do they do it? Frankly, I don’t know and don’t care to know. Starting my day without a tasty, put-me-in-a-good-mood, jump-start-my-sleeping-metabolism breakfast makes about as much sense to me as that enigmatic X in algebra. Absolutely none.
How do you feel about breakfast? Do you have a favorite? —Karen