HEALTHY FOOD · SEPTEMBER 2018
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T
SKIP BREAKFAST
H
eart disease researchers have found that factors such as where you live, how many children you have, and
your socioeconomic status can influence your cardiovascular health. In the United States, the number one
killer of both men and women is heart disease. More than 610,000 Americans die every year as a result of heart
disease. That amounts to roughly one in every four deaths in the United States of America alone.
Another benefit of eating
breakfast is that it allows
you an opportunity to sit
with your family and make
sure you’re on the same
page or know what’s on
the agenda for the day.
Breakfast fuels you and
helps you prepare for the
day ahead.
THE RISK FACTORS
ARE WELL KNOWN BY NOW.
They include high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
obesity, lack of physical activity, and smoking.
However, researchers have found that there is
one often overlooked risk factor that can play a
major role in heart health. It is one that may not
be so obvious to the average person or medical
professional—eating breakfast.
Studies suggest that those who eat breakfast
regularly tend to have lower rates of heart disease.
They also have lower cholesterol levels and blood
pressures well within normal range, and make better
food choices, thus, helping them keep their weight
under control. All of this information is according
to studies performed by the American Heart
Association.
When you skip breakfast, you increase the likelihood
of developing diabetes, high cholesterol levels,
increased weight gain, and increased obesity levels.
This happens because, inevitably, hunger pangs
will disrupt your day by midmorning, triggering
our brains to search for food. At that time of day,
with our brains and stomachs telling us to hunt for
and gather nourishment, we naturally reach for
something convenient. Those convenience foods
are more likely to be sugar-laden, carb-filled, and
processed or we reach for far more food that we
actually need to satiate our ravenous appetites. By
doing this, we consume a large number of calories
at once and, chances are, those calories are empty.
It begins a cycle of bad food choices that, unless
controlled, continues throughout the day. Soon,
you’ll find that you’ve consumed three to four times
your daily recommended caloric intake.
That is unless you're eating breakfast every morning.
There’s a caveat though. It must be a healthy
breakfast. Don’t reach for sugary cereals or a box
of doughnuts. It must be a healthy, nutritious meal
that includes healthy doses of proteins and good
carbohydrates.
30 HEALTHY MAGAZINE
For kids and teens,
eating breakfast helps
them to have more
energy for school.
Studies show that kids
who eat a nutritious
breakfast do better
in school, perform
better on tests, and
can concentrate
better. A good
breakfast keeps the
feelings of negativity,
restlessness, and
fatigue at bay.
When you skip breakfast,
your body essentially goes
into panic mode. Muscle
glycogen levels are at their
lowest when you first
wake up in the morning
because your body has just
experienced an overnight
fast. By skipping breakfast,
you’re throwing your body’s
natural rhythms off, and
that creates a negative
chain reaction.
By Julianna Lowe