We have all heard that starting the day with a good breakfast is good for you. Turns out, its better than good for you, its essential!
However, it's also about what types of foods you eat. The carbohydrates we all love to eat for breakfast, are actually working against us. Here's what you need to know and what you can do.
1. Breakfast is good for your brain!
 If you want to be smart, you must eat breakfast. Studies show that children who ate breakfast had better metal performance; including attention, memory and test scores, compared to children who skipped breakfast. 1,2.  Another study also showed that children who ate breakfast achieved better SAT scores. 3   Not only is breakfast essential for children but also adults. Adults 61 to 79 years of age showed far better memory test scores when they ate a breakfast of eggs and protein than those who had sugary cereals or donuts. 4
2. Breakfast is good for your waist line!
If you want to be a healthy weight you must eat breakfast. Skipping breakfast has been shown to lead to insulin resistance. Meaning excess sugar stays your blood and not come down correctly. It stays high and directs your body to store fat. This leads to weight gain, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. 5 Â People who want to lose weight absolutely must eat breakfast. One study showed that obesity and insulin resistance syndrome rates are 50% lower in breakfast eaters compared to those who frequently skip breakfast. 6 Â Another study done at Brown Medical School evaluated approximately 4000 people and found that 78% who kept weight off successfully ate breakfast daily. 7Yet another study done by UMass showed that the people who skipped breakfast were 4 times likely to be obese. 8
Finally, the last rule of a good breakfast is to make it a healthy breakfast. The studies also showed that the choice of food made a difference as well. Breakfast that contained both fat and protein provided the best outcome for both mental and physical performance. The reason fat and protein are needed for breakfast is that they are essential for brain chemistry balance. Just so happens that fat and protein promote fat burning instead of fat storing like sugar and carbohydrates do. Still not sure what to have?
Here are a few ideas:
Bacon, Eggs, Avocado, Small amount of Fruit (berries are better), GF Oats that you cook, (not instant) with some nuts, seeds, berries. A smoothie with Pea based protein powder and an avocado in unsweetened almond milk. You can mix and match any of these.
Yours in Good Health,
Dr. Jeanne