Breakfast-the Meal That Broke the Fast

To have a nutritious breakfast is one of the most important dietary habits one should follow. It is known as the longest “fast” of the day, in other words, "the night-time fast".It should provide 25% of the total energy and other nutrients required by the body. A perfect breakfast should comprise a combination of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. For making it more healthy one should make sure for adding whole grains, good fat, and good quality of protein in it.

Regularly having breakfast helps in the avoidance of hunger later in the morning and less likely to be hungry for snacks. It is a marker for an appropriate dietary pattern. So it is very important that one should have breakfast every morning.

The benefits of taking breakfast regularly leads to lower the percentage of fat in the body. It maintains body weight, lower blood cholesterol, and lower the chances of heart disease and diabetes. Having breakfast regularly will boost your metabolism. It also greatly influence cognitive performance in studies, it is observed that it increased the ability to solve mathematical problems

A healthy breakfast should contain 45-50 % of calories from carbohydrates and 20-25 % from protein and about 25-30 % from good fats. At least 5 grams of fiber should be included in breakfast as fruits /salads/whole grains etc.

We can add gram flours or powdered nuts to dough or batters to enrich its nutrient content. Adding whole milk, eggs, yogurts in pancake mix surely increase calcium and protein content.And by stuffing vegetables in parathas/roti will ensure once fiber intake. Mixing up foodstuff surely helps to add quality intake of food in picky eaters.

Seasonal and locally available foods can be used for making it cost-effective/affordable. You can choose seasonal fruits and vegetables for making dishes. Breakfast like"poha", "upma", "dhokla" can be easily made with simple almost available ingredients in our kitchen, and this won't cost much also. The millet” Ragi” is known as “Poor man’s milk”, because it is very cheap and loaded with calcium and iron. One can try making "dosa", "upma", or even make porridge with that.

Many people wish if there is such a thing which really helps in weight loss but it is yet to invent. There are many replacements shakes with reduced calories and low fat percentage in the market. But before opting for that one should consult with a doctor or dietitian.

Taking a diet in low carbohydrates helps to reduce weight. Superfoods like green tea/herbal tea can boost your metabolism which will lead you to lose weight. Ignore anybody who claims that there is a magical pill/drink to lose weight.

The best foods for burning fat are to fill with protein and fiber-rich food. Taking superfoods like spirulina before breakfast will give satiety because of its high protein content and will not feel drowsiness while on the low carb diet.

Skipping breakfast can imbalance your body’s rhythm. Early morning when you wake up our blood sugar levels and cognitive performance are usually dull and having breakfast is the best way to replenish it.

In an observational study children and adolescents tend to skip breakfast due to lack of time and lack of appetite. And one of the reasons among adolescents is the concern about their body weight.

If you skip your breakfast you are not going to get all the micro and macronutrients which you needs for the day’s performance. You will feel drowsy, less performing all day. You may have a tendency to go for snacks and fizzy drinks which are very low in fiber and vitamin content and high in trans fats and sugar which can lead to all types of lifestyle diseases like diabetes , hypertension, infertility, cancer, and obesity.

Whenever you skip breakfast try a nutritious snack such as fresh fruit, Spanish omelets, vegetable sandwich, oats porridge to help you throughout the day.

Skipping breakfast can lead to irritability and mood swings. It can also cause a severe headache. It adversely affects menstrual disorders like dysmenorrhea in the woman. Will put a lot of weight, which slowly leads to obesity and then to other major disorders. It can make you feel low energetic, low concentration, and hormonal stress.

1. Whole grain cereals-Which means it has the bran in it and it is loaded with fiber content and have a very low glycemic index( a scale used to rate the absorption of carbohydrate in food to raise the glucose levels in the blood)

2. Multigrain formulation-It is a combination of two or more grains in one product. Most likely it has millets, legumes, ancient grains like "Navara", Nuts, amaranthus, soya beans, etc. Mostly it is marketed as 7-grain mix / 9-grain mix.
3. Fortified breakfast cereals-It is mainly considered for children and it is fortified with certain vitamins/minerals like A and C, iron, and calcium to increase the nutrient content and to get rid of deficiencies. Fortification means nutrients which are not naturally available on food but are added to it to enhance nutrition.
4. Organic food/Non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)-They are free from pesticide, artificial livestock feeds, food additives, and preservatives. Usually, baby food cereals are made out of organically grown ingredients.
5. Gluten-free-Gluten comes from the Latin word "glue" as it becomes sticky when contact with water. It is a protein found in wheat, oats, and rye. It can cause allergic symptoms like diarrhea, irritability, depression, and anemia .so this is purposefully made for people with gluten intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome.
6. Keto friendly-These types of foods are basically high in protein and low in carbohydrates. There are keto cookies, smoothies, keto bars, and keto atta(wheat flour) in the market. mostly used as a replacement to regular breakfast cereals for weight loss.
7. Low sugar/sugar free-It contains sugar substitutes other than natural sugar. The commonly used sugar substitutes are "Sucralose" a derivative sugar, "Stevia" and "Aspartame". But it is not considered healthy. Though it has fewer calories than natural sugar, long term usage can harm your kidneys.It can be considered for short term plans like attaining weight goals

1. Idly/Dosa -3 (no) + Sambar and Green chutney (1/2 cup)

2. Porridges/Cornflakes/Wheat flakes (1 1/2 cup) +Milk (200 ml) and Dried fruits and Nuts (1 Tbsp)

3.Vegetable Poha /Upma with microgreens (1 cup) + Poached/Fried egg (1no)

4.Grilled vegetable sandwich (1 portion) +milk(200 ml) or Boiled egg (1 no)