Myth Busted – I Just Can’t Eat Breakfast

Many people have gotten out of the breakfast habit they had as babies. Yes, if we were blessed to have someone to care for us, we woke up hungry and insisted we be fed, first thing in the morning. We had breakfast every day. Yet many people tell me that they don’t wake up hungry and/or just can’t make themselves eat breakfast. Others say they don’t have time or there is nothing in the house to eat. As a result, they think it’s okay to skip breakfast regularly, especially if they’re trying to lose weight.

However, after sleeping 6-8 hours, our bodies need the energy (calories) breakfast provides to start the day. The brain needs carbohydrates to function, so if you plan on thinking before lunch, breakfast is a must. That’s why teachers encourage parents to have their children eat breakfast, especially on days when standardized testing is going on. It always disturbs me to see parents require their kids do something they themselves don’t do, such as wearing a helmet when bike riding. Breakfast is the same kind of thing. What’s good for your kids is good for you.

Eating breakfast also gets the metabolism started. Just as a fire goes out without enough wood, so too does metabolism slow when calories are reduced or we don’t eat regularly. It’s no wonder then that in a survey of people who have lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for at least one year, 78 percent eat breakfast every day (Source: The National Weight Control Registry).

How about the time crunch? If you have time to shower, dress, shave, and/or apply makeup, you have time to eat something. Shop and prepare things ahead of time. Quick, nutritious choices for breakfast include fruit, hard boiled eggs, cheese sticks, yogurt, cereal bars, whole wheat toast with peanut butter, instant oatmeal, and cereal. But don’t feel limited to traditional breakfast foods. Leftovers from last night’s dinner work just as well. If you don’t feel hungry enough to eat any of these, start with juice and take something with you for later in the morning. Start with something light, such as a 6 ounce yogurt cup. In time, you will get used to eating breakfast and will become easier. Studies show that people who eat breakfast eat fewer calories later in the day. Give it a try and find out how good you feel when if you give your body the nourishment it needs.