Why Eating a Big Balanced Breakfast is Important

If you’re on a diet, you’ve probably heard that eating a balanced breakfast helps you lose weight, while skipping it results in weight gain. Breakfast literally translates to “breaking one’s fast,” because you are ending the fast that occurs when you sleep. Breakfast is all about getting the right nutrients to provide the energy you need to get you through the day, and without them, you’ll end up starting the day at both a mental and physical disadvantage.

Research has long proven that consuming a big balanced breakfast is better than eating a small traditional one, like a bowl of cold cereal. In studies, people lost five times as much weight as the control group when they consumed a large meal in the morning. In tests, the group consumed half of their daily allotment of calories at breakfast, and so had the whole day to burn them off. This is opposed to the control group, who ate most of their calories at dinner and then only had a few hours to burn them off before hitting the hay. Surprise surprise, around 80% of those late-night calories were not burned off and were stored by the body as fat while they slept.

What is a balanced breakfast? The very best breakfast consists of a variety of foods from many different food groups. For example, an omelet is balanced because it contains protein, cheese, and veggies. Peanut butter and banana slices on toast is another balanced option because of it contains carbs, proteins and fruit. Even a yogurt parfait with granola and fruit could be a balanced breakfast if you choose low fat yogurt.

By starting your day with a big breakfast, you’ll be better able to control your cravings throughout the day. If you eat a very large breakfast, you do need to watch your portions at other meals. You don’t want to consume three large meals a day, as this will quickly lead to gain weight. It’s all about re-training yourself to watch your eating habits. By eating a bigger breakfast and a smaller lunch and dinner, you’ll soon see weight loss results, without having to set one foot in the gym (although that is recommended for quicker weight loss).

Your kids should also have a balanced breakfast. Children do much better in school on a full stomach, so be sure to encourage them to eat heartily in the morning. It could be the start of a whole new healthy family tradition!