Eat it yourself: is breakfast as healthy as is commonly believed?

What time do you have breakfast?

We’ve figured out why you need to eat in the morning, now let’s look at the optimal time for this.

The best time for morning meals is considered to be from 7.00 to 9.00 . It is during this period that the body absorbs foods best. Everything, of course, depends on what time you wake up.

Here's the best morning routine:

• woke up, brushed teeth;
• Drink one or two glasses of water at room temperature;
• After 20-40 minutes you can start your morning meal.

Try to eat at the same time every day to get your stomach used to eating. It needs 3-4 weeks to adapt to your routine, after which it will remind you of breakfast better than any clock.

If you don’t have an appetite in the morning, firstly, remember that it comes with eating, and, secondly, buy yourself a bright plate that can increase not only your appetite, but also your mood.

Don't eat breakfast right after waking up

Why can't you eat immediately after waking up? Breakfast in bed is a cute idea, but not very healthy for your figure.

From a body chemistry perspective, it's helpful to give yourself at least half an hour of light exercise, a shower, and other morning rituals before rushing to the refrigerator.

You need to have breakfast half an hour after waking up . The ideal option is to drink a glass of water, do exercises, take a shower, and then eat.

This way, you will sit at the table with an obvious feeling of hunger, and the hormonal and digestive systems will have time to prepare to absorb breakfast one hundred percent.

How to train yourself to eat breakfast

Many people understand that they need to eat breakfast, but after several years of living without a morning meal, it is difficult for them to adjust to a new regime. If you also belong to such people, we suggest taking the advice of nutritionists:

1. Develop a breakfast habit. You may not have an appetite at first in the morning, but it is important to force yourself to eat. Even if at first it will be tiny portions of food, over time the body will get used to accepting food in the morning, and after a week you will not be able to imagine the morning without breakfast.
2. Prepare for your morning meal in the evening. If you are one of those who refuse breakfast, citing lack of time, then this excuse will lose its relevance if you prepare everything you need in the evening. If the dish cannot be prepared in advance, then make sure that in the morning you know exactly what breakfast will look like and that you have all the necessary products at hand.
3. Drink a glass of water immediately after waking up. This will not only restore the fluid balance in the body, but also activate the motility and secretory function of the digestive system. Within 15-30 minutes after this you will feel a decent appetite.
4. Start doing exercises in the morning. Physical activity will burn calories, after which the body will definitely require “refueling”.

What can you eat and drink for breakfast with proper nutrition?

And now let’s move on directly to what you can and should eat for breakfast. What should a proper and healthy breakfast consist of?

• Egg dishes – you can choose from boiled eggs, omelet or scrambled eggs. Egg dishes are not only rich in vitamins and minerals, but can also reduce calorie intake throughout the day.
• Muesli – store-bought versions contain a lot of sugar, so it’s better to make them yourself. To do this, you will need whole grains (unroasted), uncooked oatmeal, dried fruits, and nuts. For filling, use milk or yogurt.
• Porridge – oatmeal, buckwheat, pearl barley, corn and millet porridge are considered the most healthy and nutritious. Porridge provides the body with complex (slow) carbohydrates . They, in turn, leave you feeling full for a long time and help you give up unhealthy snacks.
• Sandwiches - now we are not talking about the classic options with sausage and cheese, but about healthy sandwiches made from whole grain bread (without yeast) with fish or boiled chicken . It is better not to use mayonnaise.
• Nuts and honey. Nuts normalize the acidity of gastric juice and improve digestion. Honey helps wake up the body and provides it with energy. In addition, honey improves brain function and increases serotonin levels (the joy hormone).

As for drinks, it is better to give preference to green tea . Tea with honey and lemon is also a useful option. It is especially useful in the cold season, as it perfectly protects the body from viral diseases.

It’s worth holding off on coffee in the morning. Under no circumstances drink it on an empty stomach. In a separate article you can learn about why it is better to give up coffee in the morning, as well as the pros and cons of this drink.

What not to eat and drink for breakfast

Remember that not all foods can be eaten for breakfast. There are foods and drinks that, when taken after waking up, can have a negative impact on our health. What's bad to eat for breakfast?

And yes, it won't include obvious options like soda or hamburgers and chips. Obviously, such a breakfast can only do harm. We tried to select products from which you would not expect a catch.

Citrus

Many people mistakenly believe that a glass of orange juice in the morning is the right start to the day, because it contains many vitamins and beneficial microelements.

This fresh juice really has a beneficial effect on the body, but not in the morning. The thing is that oranges, grapefruits, tangerines and other citrus fruits contain acid that greatly irritates the gastric mucosa .

If you consume such fruits or juices on an empty stomach, you risk getting gastritis or allergies.

Bananas

The composition of this fruit includes magnesium, and if you consume it in large quantities for breakfast, the cardiovascular system will receive a serious load .

The result is drowsiness and a feeling of weakness. It is better to eat a banana a few hours after breakfast.

Cold drinks

Everyone knows that in the morning on an empty stomach you need to drink a glass of water to start the digestive system. However, there is one “but”: under no circumstances should it be cold. The low temperature of the drink impairs blood circulation and slows down metabolism.

And if girls drink cold water or juice every day in the morning, they will begin to have problems with their menstrual cycle. Read more about how much water to drink per day and what it should be here.

Meat

Now we are not talking about boiled chicken breast, but about fatty meat - fried pork, chops. The fact is that the body spends a lot of energy to digest this product. And when he is half asleep, this is not so easy to do.

Therefore, if in the morning you are tempted by a delicious cutlet, then get ready for the fact that you will not be able to wake up and think about work for several more hours.

Quick breakfasts

Contrary to numerous advertisements that claim that they are incredibly nutritious and healthy, it is better to avoid them. This product does not provide any benefit to our body and, as paradoxical as it may sound, contributes to the gain of extra pounds .

Such breakfasts contain a lot of carbohydrates, which are digested very quickly and, as a result, cause attacks of hunger long before lunch. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself snacking on something all morning.

Yeast

We are talking about all products that contain yeast. This is especially true for baked goods. If eaten on an empty stomach, they can lead not only to bloating and discomfort, but also to disturbances in the digestive system .

Raw vegetables and yogurt

Avoid raw vegetables for breakfast. They contain acid that corrodes and irritates the walls of the stomach . Such a breakfast can lead to gastritis and ulcers.

Yogurt is also not the best breakfast. Not only will it not bring any benefit, but it can also cause harm. The benefits of yogurt on an empty stomach are minimal, since the hydrochloric acid in the stomach “kills” all lactic acid bacteria.

What harm can yogurt cause? Gastroenterologist Leila Bolatchieva claims that yogurt quickly leaves the stomach, which continues to work, secreting enzymes and hydrochloric acid. This way you can get gastritis and duodenal ulcer.

Remember that breakfast is an important part of the day and it should be beneficial. It is better to have a snack with yogurt 2-3 hours after breakfast or eat it for dinner (as an addition to something).

The right breakfast - what is it like?

Speaking about a healthy breakfast and proper nutrition, many people wonder what breakfast should be like.
First of all, the morning meal should be rich, because its main purpose is to charge the body with energy for the rest of the day. If a person has breakfast very early, it should be a light meal, because it is more difficult for the body to digest heavy food in the morning. Your breakfast must contain carbohydrates, because they store energy, and proteins, since they are responsible for our cells.

What to do before your morning meal

It’s worth starting with the question, what is better to drink for breakfast? When you wake up, you need to drink a glass of water at room temperature. What is it for? The fact is that water puts into operation absolutely all the organs of our body, and it also removes all existing toxins from it. You can add a drop of lemon juice or a teaspoon of honey to the water.

Before breakfast, you need to stretch your body with morning exercises. The most interesting thing is that you don’t even have to get out of bed to do this.

After the described procedures, a feeling of hunger begins to be felt. Now you can start eating.

Recommended Products

When compiling a list of what is healthy to eat for breakfast, you need to rely on the advice of nutritionists.

Porridge is a healthy food in the morning. Because it is cereals that are endowed with various vitamins and proteins. After having breakfast with porridge, a person does not feel hungry until lunch.

It is also useful to have cottage cheese for breakfast. When consumed, the functioning of digestion is regulated. This, in turn, allows you to eat fatty foods throughout the day without harm to the body.

You can eat fruit for breakfast, but in the form of supplements. Despite its usefulness, fruits are quickly absorbed. Accordingly, the feeling of hunger will appear literally a few hours after breakfast.

Eggs are a good breakfast food. They contain phospholipids, vitamins and protein.

Sandwiches can be an excellent dish for a morning meal, but only if they are made from rye or whole grain bread and low-fat filling (vegetables, honey, dairy products).

Also useful foods for the first meal are:

• cheese;
• sour cream;
• natural yoghurts;
• honey;
• dried fruits;
• low-fat meat products;
• greenery.

What to give up

Dishes containing the following products are strictly not recommended for breakfast:

1. Sausages in any form. They have a small amount of meat, but a lot of fat and soy products.
2. Instant porridge.
3. Cakes and pastries, as well as various chocolates.
4. Chips and fast food.
5. Many people drink black tea and coffee, but pampering yourself with these drinks in the morning is not recommended.

Why you shouldn't eat sweets on an empty stomach

Sweets - tea with a delicious cake or cookies for breakfast - this is the second most popular option after sandwiches. Again, it's all about laziness. We don't want to waste precious time preparing something more healthy and substantial, so confectionery products come to the rescue.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with them; even nutritionists recommend consuming a little sweet in the morning. But remember that you cannot do this on an empty stomach. A sweet croissant and coffee is one of the most popular breakfasts in the world, but there are several reasons to treat yourself to it only from time to time.

1. Firstly, such a breakfast guarantees that after an hour and a half you will want to eat something more substantial - the level of glucose in your blood will first rise sharply, and then also drop sharply.
2. Secondly, surges in sugar levels affect productivity: after a sweet breakfast, you will not be able to work or train.

After waking up, the pancreas works at half capacity, so it will not be able to digest a large dose of sugar that enters the body along with a piece of cake.

The result will not be very pleasant: you will not only worsen the functioning of the pancreas, but also will not be able to concentrate during the day, because sweets consumed on an empty stomach have a negative effect on brain activity.

Sugar also increases the production of insulin, which is a big burden for the pancreas, which has just woken up. This can lead to diabetes.

If you want to learn about how sugar affects the human brain and what harm it causes, then follow the link (you can also find the main myth about sweets here).

Why you need to have breakfast in the morning, and the dangers of low-quality food

I believe that some statements that it is not necessary to eat in the morning are absurd. You need to have breakfast - and also thoroughly and thoughtfully, because this is the most important meal of the day! And now you can see this for yourself.

So why should you have breakfast? You shouldn't skip your first meal, if only for the reason that you won't be able to predict how your day will turn out. Sometimes it happens that during the day there is no time to eat. And if you skip breakfast, your body won’t get the energy it needs, and you won’t feel your best.

But most of us, even if we eat in the morning, do not do it right. Often it’s just tea or sweet coffee with buns, croissants, gingerbread, sandwiches with white bread or pasta.

It seems that it looks normal and quite satisfying, but with this breakfast model we fuel our body with a lot of calories, sugar, fats and so-called fast carbohydrates.

Such food does not provide the body with vitamins, minerals, fiber and proteins.

That is, our main meal is fast-carbohydrate. The following happens in the body: the blood sugar level rises quite quickly and significantly above normal. Next, the brain understands that this is not good and instructs the pancreas to produce insulin.

Insulin then neutralizes excess sugar in the blood. By the way, if a person has a sedentary lifestyle and is not engaged in physical labor, then this sugar is simply converted into fat deposits.

When blood sugar drops, a feeling of hunger sets in, a person may even feel slightly sick, and a feeling of fatigue occurs. This phenomenon is also called carbohydrate hunger. People who seemed to have had a fairly hearty breakfast not so long ago are again in a hurry to refresh themselves. For example, they came to work, sat down to have tea, with sweets, chocolates, buns... This is already perceived as a familiar ritual, as the norm.

But in reality this is not normal. Fatigue and a quick feeling of hunger are a signal from your body:

You got me in the wrong place! You had the wrong breakfast!

And such swings are repeated often during the day. Remember how many times a day you drink sweet tea and refresh yourself? It is the fact that you leave the house without a normal breakfast that can largely cause problems with blood pressure and excess weight, and this is the first step to diabetes!

Therefore, think about your lifestyle and diet. It is better to prevent a disease than to be treated for it for the rest of your life. This applies not only to diabetes, but also to stomach problems.

Raspberries for breakfast will protect against diabetes and more

Scientists from Oklahoma State University (USA) recommend including raspberries more often in your morning meal - this will help reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes . This advice is especially useful for people who are at risk (overweight, obesity, genetic predisposition).

The norm is 125 g of berries. In addition, the researchers note, this low-calorie breakfast berry will also help lower blood sugar levels in those already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Raspberries are also rich in polyphenols, which have been proven to protect us from cancer, heart disease and general inflammation.

Two new studies focused on the effects of berries on diabetes.

One study tested a group of 32 people with prediabetes. Scientists noticed: those who ate 125 g or 250 g of raspberries after a high-carbohydrate breakfast had a noticeable decrease in insulin levels.

But for those who started without raspberries in the morning, a large amount of carbohydrates provoked a sharp release of insulin, which remained high for a long time.

The second study showed that in diabetics who ate raspberries for breakfast along with other foods, inflammatory markers and blood glucose levels decreased after just 2 hours!

Breakfast is important for cognitive function

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it restores glucose levels, a carbohydrate essential for brain function. Many studies have shown how breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels, and it can also make us happier as it can improve our mood and reduce stress levels.

Studies in children have shown that eating breakfast can improve achievement, behavior and learning. Like any other organ in the body, the brain needs energy to function better!

The benefits of breakfast

The benefits of breakfast are enormous, it is very important for your body, refusing it can lead to numerous problems. Do not neglect it if you do not want to harm your health. And also remember what you can eat for breakfast and what you can’t.

The best food in the morning is porridge. Dishes made from buckwheat and oatmeal are considered especially healthy. It is better to cook them without sugar using water or skim milk.

Was there anything you didn’t like about this article, do you have anything to add, or did you find an error? Be sure to write about it in the comments. Not a single comment will be left unattended!

Article updated 11/29/2020