Do you really need to eat breakfast?

The old adage to eat breakfast like a king is something we have all heard and this saying does have some weight to it when it comes to managing your own weight and health.

Nighttime is when you are at rest however your body is constantly working. It is assimilating, digesting and eliminating your food while simultaneously restoring your tissues, cells and all organs of your body.

What you eat for breakfast greatly influences how you perform and eat throughout the day. Additionally, people who eat breakfast are significantly likely to be less obese and not have degenerative diseases.

Sadly, many people believe that skipping breakfast is a common strategy for losing weight and gaining health. They expect that they will lose weight if they skip meals, but this just isn't true as the body expects to be refueled a few times during the day starting with breakfast.

Skipping breakfast in fact slows down the metabolism, reduces energy levels and makes you put on weight. Research has found that children who eat a big breakfast are smarter than those who don’t however it is also necessary to eat after a 10 hour break as breakfast literally means breaking a fast.

It’s important to eat a well-balanced healthy breakfast. It does not need to be an elaborate one. One thing is more than enough. Smart planning will give you a balanced breakfast with good quality fats carbohydrates and proteins.

The first thing to put in your mouth in your day is water. It needn’t be warm, or ice cold. A glass of simple, room temperature water is what you should start your day with. This will gently start stimulating your digestive system and prevent constipation. Water helps carry blood and nutrients to the body and removes waste matter.

Keep your breakfast as simple as possible and easy to make. You can make some preparations the previous night. A point to note is that you have to add a lot of vegetables in. Batters and dough’s can be pre made or bought and kept in the refrigerator so could chutneys and podis.

Aim to sleep at the right time and eat at the right time. A good meal in the morning is always followed by a good day. Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy wealthy and wise!

Why Breakfast Is Important

• Breakfast eaters are more likely to have a healthy body weight because of a higher metabolism.
• Even a small snack like a glass of milk or any beverage can be beneficial.
• Encourage your children to eat breakfast. They require a more nutrient-dense diet to maintain physical and mental growth.
• On holidays involve children in preparing breakfast; they are more likely to eat foods that they have helped make.

Quick and healthy breakfast

• Dosa, sambhar and chutney - Dosa made from ragi atta + rice and urad dal with coconut chutney + sambhar made from pigeon pea, pumpkin bottle gourd + sambhar masala
• Vegetable Oats Upma - oats, boiled peas, French beans, carrots, peanuts, spices, salt to taste, cooked in cows ghee.
• Paratha and vegetable raita - whole wheat paratha cooked in cows ghee raita made from curd with chopped onions tomatoes coriander rock salt and roasted cumin powder
• Vegetable sandwich + egg omelet with vegetables – whole grain bread with slices of cucumber and tomato with coriander and mint chutney + egg omelet with onions coriander tomato capsicum pepper salt made in extra virgin olive oil
• Ragi idli chutney sambhar – idli made from ragi atta, rice, urad dal and salt + coconut chutney made from grated coconut, salt and green chili paste + sambhar made from pigeon pea dal and lots of veggies like onion, tomato, drumstick, pumpkin and spices in it.
• Moong daal chilla or dosa with chutney – chilla made of split green mung dal, toss in vegetables and spices, accompany with coconut chutney in it.