| Skipping Breakfast? |
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It's important when trying to lose (or maintain) your weight that you don't skip breakfast. Now I'm not asking you to jump out of bed every morning and shove a huge meal down your throat; most people aren't even hungry when they wake up (like me). But I must stress that skipping breakfast, especially in combination with skipping lunch, will not help you lose weight. This is because we're more likely to binge and over eat at night if we decide to skip eating during the day. I've been down this road many times before as it was a habit of mine for a couple months, but it doesn't help your health. The idea is appealing because not being hungry in the morning makes it easier to skip breakfast. But when you do start eating, you tend to eat anything at once, as fast as possible, and with little care to what it is. According to Canada's Food Guide, breakfast should consist of a minimum of 3 different food groups for teenagers/adults and a minimum of 2 for children. Healthy Breakfast Examples For an Adult (with 3 food groups) 1) Milk, toast and peanut butter (food groups: Milk & Alternatives, Grains, Meat & Alternatives) 2) Cereal and milk with a handful of berries OR a peice of fruit (food groups: Grains, Milk & Alternatives, Fruit & Vegetables) 3) Carrots and yogurt dip with whole grain crackers (food groups: Fruit & Vegetables, Milk & Alternatives, Grains) 4) 2 Poached eggs on whole grain toast with a small glass of 100% Fruit Juice (food groups: Meat & Alternatives, Grains, Fruit and Vegetables) 5) Leftover whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce and lean ground beef* (food groups: Grains, Fruit & Vegetables, Meat & Alternatives) * Breakfast doesn't always have to be traditional foods! My personal favorite breakfast consists of only 2 food groups (I'm guilty!): When I wake up: - Tea (Orange Pekoe/Red Rose, with 2 tsp. organic cane sugar and 2-3 tbsp 1% milk). (Tea is a non food group) 30-60 minutes later: - 1/2 cup of Organic Granola Cereal (Nature's Path: Meusli & Granola Cereals) with 1/2 cup 1% milk. (food groups: Grains, Milk) - 100 g Naturalia Yogurt (food groups: Milk) Written by CJ H, Mar 2007. Last updated Dec 23 2007. |