Breakfast is important, so don't skip it

Health
Breakfast is important, so don't skip it
10/27/2008 7:30:37 AM

By Mike Augustin
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

"Start the day off right with a healthy breakfast."

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Jump-start your day the healthy breakfast way."

All are valid reminders to make time for a healthy breakfast, but heard too often. They've become cliche and easily ignored for many people, especially those dealing with busy morning demands of work, family and school.

Breakfast can be too easily elbowed aside by responsibilities and a tight schedule that commences with the ringing of the alarm clock. Unfortunately, your energy level, mood, alertness, even waistline can all be affected by bad breakfast choices.

Think you're taking off pounds by skipping breakfast? Think again. Studies show this can backfire. People trying to cut calories by skipping breakfast tend to be heavier than those who eat a healthy breakfast, according to the Weight-control Information Network (WIN) Web site, a service of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Skipping breakfast means that you may feel hungrier later in the day when healthy options may not be available.

"You get to lunchtime and say, 'Oh my gosh -- I'm starving,'" says Katherine Zeratsky, registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic. Resulting large meals for lunch and dinner, often higher in calories and fat, replace relatively healthy breakfast foods.

Zeratsky says most people who don't eat breakfast realize they should, but miss out because of hectic morning lifestyles. Here are her suggestions for creative ways to fit healthy breakfast choices into your morning:

• Plan ahead. Planning the night before for what you'll eat the next morning can save time by streamlining a breakfast routine.

• Get up earlier. "Some lifestyle changes are not easy to make," says Zeratsky, but adding a little extra time in the morning might allow for a quick healthy breakfast.

• Make it portable. Don't have time to sit down to a bowl of cereal? Take along a portion of dry cereal, a banana and skim milk in a to-go cup. Snack on the banana and dry cereal and drink the milk on the side.

• Keep it handy and easy. "What I find works at our house is that something sitting on the counter, like a banana, is pretty easy to grab," Zeratsky says.

Better breakfast

Traditional fare:

To make a healthy breakfast each day, choose one item from at least three of the following four food groups:

• Fruits, vegetables or 100 percent juice without added sugar.

• Grains. Whole-grain rolls, bagels, hot or cold whole-grain cereals, low-fat bran muffins, crackers or melba toast.

• Dairy. Skim milk, low-fat yogurt cups or low-fat cheeses, such as cottage and natural cheeses.

• Protein. Hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter, lean slices of meat and poultry or fish, such as water-packed tuna or slices of salmon.

If you dislike regular breakfast foods, try something different, such as:

• Leftover vegetable pizza.

• Fresh fruit topped with low-fat yogurt and crispy whole-grain cereal.

• Vegetables, salsa and low-fat shredded cheeses wrapped in a tortilla.

• A smoothie blended from exotic fruits, some low-fat yogurt and a spoonful of wheat germ.

• Whole-wheat crackers with low-fat cheese.

• A microwave potato topped with broccoli and grated Parmesan cheese.

Source: mayoclinic.com

Mike Augustin is a Rochester freelance writer.
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