Breakfast is the first and the most important meal of the day. It’s the energy pack which lets you kick out of the dizzy morning feeling and gives you the boost for starting a good morning. Well actually a good breakfast is the recipe for a good morning. Breakfast should be a priority on everybody. It actually sets prepares for the day and promotes short-term memory, energy and vitality, mental and physical alertness, focus and concentration, lower levels of stress and a healthier body weight. The breakfast ingredients vary from place to place and the kind of work a person does in the remaining day which follows breakfast. Breakfast is the first chance the body has to refuel its glucose levels, also known as blood sugar, after a long break(sleep) without a meal or snack. Glucose is essential for the brain and is the main energy source. Blood glucose also helps fuel the muscles needed for physical activity throughout the day.People who do light office jobs prefer a light breakfast like bread butter or bread egg, or flakes and for those who do heavy manual work prefer something more stomach full to last till the next meal like beacon-egg, sandwich etc. The Breakfast menu varies from place to place.
A good breakfast should contain a good proportion of protein and fiber. Protein can come from low fat meats, eggs, beans or dairy. Fiber can be found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. A good example of a healthy breakfast might be something simple like a boiled egg, an orange, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk. Carbohydrates should also be an integral part of any breakfast as the body breaks these down and turns it into glucose. Glucose provides your brain, nerves and red blood cells with the energy they require to function properly. If the morning dose of carbohydrates is not provided then your brain, nerves and red blood cells are starved of their vital energy source and your performance levels during the day are greatly reduced.
Simple ideas to help add breakfast to your daily eating plan.
• Whole-grain cereal topped with fruit and a cup of yogurt.
• Peanut butter, fruit or ricotta cheese mixed with cereals.
• A whole-wheat pita stuffed with sliced hard-cooked eggs.
• Hot cereal topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or cloves .
• Peanut butter on a bagel with fresh fruit (banana or apple wedges) and low-fat milk
• Breakfast smoothie (milk, fruit and teaspoon of bran, whirled in a blender)
• Vegetable omelet with a bran muffin and orange juice
For a more stomach full breakfast one can try:
• Ham on a toasted English muffin and vegetable juice
• Cheese pizza and orange juice
• Grilled vegetables mixed with beans and cilantro topped with cheese
• Heated leftover rice with chopped apples, nuts and cinnamon and fruit juice
