Breakfast is the most skipped meal of the day. The main reason cited in a national survey? Not enough time, of course. But does a bowl of cereal with milk take that long to prepare? And what about drinkable yogurt and a banana gobbled on the run? The worst way to start the day is to do it on an empty stomach. Let’s be honest: how often do you skip breakfast?
Prevent burnout
A few things can happen when you don’t eat breakfast: you can get a headache, have difficulty concentrating and feel edgy. Your low blood sugar level makes it easy to grab the first doughnut in sight. An empty stomach quickly digests carbohydrates like glucose, an essential fuel for the brain and body. And so the term “break-fast” was born.
Skip breakfast to shed a few pounds?
It’s a bad idea. Studies actually show the opposite is true; people who skip breakfast to save calories have more difficulty controlling their weight. Children and teens who don’t eat breakfast have a higher body mass index (BMI) and are up to two times more likely to be overweight than those who eat breakfast every morning.
People who worry about their extra pounds can kill two birds with one stone by focusing on foods like fruit and dairy products, two food categories that are under-consumed by the population. Integrating these types of food into the morning meal could help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Break the habit!
Breakfast in Canada is a lot of different things: bowl of rice, marinated vegetables, tofu and tea (Chinese), fried plantain bananas, grilled cod, avocado and toast (Haitian), refried beans, corn tortilla, hot chocolate and an orange (Salvadorian), pressed yogurt, pita garnished with olives, tomatoes, watercress and cinnamon tea (Lebanese). A tip for those who don’t enjoy sweet foods in the morning: give in to your urge for a chicken sandwich, the rest of the macaroni and cheese or the vegetable rice. It’s deliciously allowed!
Five breakfasts to break the monotony
- Morning muesli with fresh and dried fruit. Just soak oatmeal in a yogurt-milk mixture the night before and prepare the toppings.
- Waffles cut into sticks and dipped in strawberry sauce. A breakfast you can prepare on the weekend and freeze. A real hit with teenagers!
- Reinvent a classic. Instead of pairing peanut butter with white bread and jam, the PB is great with molasses (or liquid honey) on delicious multi-grain toast. Sceptics will be pleasantly surprised.
- Egg in the hole: instead of a slice of bread, break an egg on a pancake that was previously cooked and frozen. Brilliant, wouldn’t you say?
- A homemade muffin that is different from the everyday – raw dough will keep several days in the fridge. Try our amazing double bran muffins.
