Eat Your Breakfast

You know, eventually we'll discover that our grandmothers were right about everything.

For instance, they were right that we have to eat our breakfast. We ignore this advice, we let our kids ignore it, and we set our bodies up for a lifetime of metabolic misfires.

No kidding, you really need to eat some breakfast. Something. Something to start up that furnace, stoke the fire, rekindle your metabolism for the day.

It's called break-fast for a reason. At the end of the day, our bodies naturally bank our metabolisms down, reducing our caloric needs, and getting ready for a slow burn during our resting time. When you awake, breaking your body's fast is what starts your system firing again. Research has shown that a moderate breakfast can actually increase your metabolism's rate of calorie use for the whole day.

But here's what I used to do. I bet this will sound familiar. I woke up, late, rushed to get out the door on time, sat down to work with maybe a cup or two or three of coffee, finally eating something around lunch time or later, often grabbing fast food or snack food. Often I would eat nothing at all until mid-afternoon until I began shaking with hunger, and then I'd go in search of a vending machine, and load up on nasty sugar-filled, trans-fat-laced snacks. That would start a carb binge that would last until late in the day. Altogether, I probably ate fewer calories in the old days than I do now, but I kept getting fatter. Why?

In this too-common scenario, I starved my body during the time of day when I most needed calories, and overfed it as my body began shutting down its caloric needs for evening rest. My body, having been put through regular starvation every day, happily banked the extra calories as fat, of course.

Wrong way around, folks. Eat early and often, slowing down your eating as you end your day. My mom used to say you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. Good advice. Just, you know, don't make the mistake of eating like a king all day long. Track your calories, eat little bits often, including protein with every mini-meal, and slow down at the end of the day, cutting way back on carbs for your final meal.

Try it this week. Fire up your furnace with a fast protein and fruit shake in the morning, or try a grilled cheese sandwich on wheat-free bread, or string cheese and an apple. Sit down to a lovely omelette if you can make the time, or a bowl of oatmeal with maybe some flax seed and protein powder stirred in?

Break your fast, best beloveds,

Juju

Why Eat Breakfast?
12 Ways to Get Your Breakfast
Cooking Light Breakfast Recipes