Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Right Kind of Healthy Breakfast Foods

By Jamis Hartley

At the start of each day it is essential to give our bodies the nutrients needed to keep our bodies functioning through the daily demands. If we don't eat what our bodies need our body will begin to tell us so and most likely you will end up eating something you shouldn't. Skipping breakfast is not an effective way to lose weight or manage health.

By getting the healthy breakfast foods first thing in the morning we are able to perform at a much better level. Our appetites will not be for candy or sweets because our body is full and focused on the tasks of the morning. In order to stay satisfied your body wants the energy you are asking of it. If you are filling it with candy or sweets or other empty calories you cannot be healthy.

The highly advertised breakfast foods that our kids love so much (and adults too) are typically high in sugar and low in actual food content. They tell you it has the nutrients that are part of a healthy breakfast but it is nothing more than some add-in powder. You just as well eat a vitamin for breakfast, it has more of the vitamins and minerals anyway. Your body needs food, whole foods, like whole grains and fruits, something with substance.

Think about those foods that are typically offered for a quick breakfast and you're going to find processed sugars by the ton. Typical cold cereals may have high sugar, high fat aspects that give you edgy fluctuations in the glucose levels in your body later that morning. It's probably better to select something else, although you won't hear that from the ad agencies.

Healthy breakfast foods are going to be those that are more slowly broken down by your digestive system. Unlike the sugary cereals that boost your blood sugar to give you that boost but let you down, whole foods will fill your tummy and give you the sustainable energy to work and play and not snack and wait for the next meal. Real food with real ingredients and not just sugar and vitamins will keep your blood sugar steady and provide the nutrition your muscles and bones need.

To find healthier breakfast foods, look for those higher in fiber and whole grains. Believe it or not I do believe there are plenty of good boxed cereals that have the substance to them to sustain life. Unfortunately, it is hard to have the profit margin in the healthier foods to allow for the HUGE marketing budget of the sugary low value boxed cereals. The only way to sell the sugary garbage is spend millions on ads that will lead us to believe they will do the job. The smarter consumer however, will choose their healthy breakfast foods by looking at the nutritional facts.

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