did you have breakfast this morning?

well it was breakfast week recently so i thought i would promote it on my site here.
Breakfast means breaking the fast. so it is very important to eat something in the morning. if you think about it very carefully the body have had over twelve hours without food. so it is important when waking up that we do not leave it too long to not go without a meal.
Studies carried out by a popular breakfast company demonstrated that 57% of parents do not have breakfast. This figure is very worrying as this habit can be influenced to their children. Children and parents are less likely to concentrate properly and gain up to a stone in a year.

 Facts About Breakfast:

- One in five kids currently skips breakfast - that's 3 million kids each day
- 1 in 4 adults currently skips breakfast - that's 11.25m adults each day
According to the Future Foundation Report (The Future of Breakfast 2004)...
- Breakfast is the most rushed meal of the day, the cheapest meal of the day (46pence) but it should make up a quarter of your daily nutrient intake
- Only one third of parents are with their kids when they consume breakfast
- Britain is the worst in the International League for kids eating breakfast
- Children eat breakfast less as they get older
According to the Kellogg's Family Health Study 2005...
- 90% of children say their parents are the most important source of believable information when it comes to food and healthy eating
- Kids who don't eat breakfast are more likely to snack on high sugar/fat foods

it is important to be aware that weight gain is more significant when there is no consumption of breakfast. this is because when we do not eat breakfast the body becomes starved, causes insulin levels to become low, causing the person to become moody, irritable and craving for sugary items i.e sweets,chocolate, savoury, and biscuits. all containing high fat, and high sugar.
however this can be reversed by starting to have breakfast again. start off with a piece of fruit, over a couple of weeks work the way towards a main breakfast meal for example grilled english breakfast or a popular cereal.

The  best sources of this are oats, or anything wholemeal, as they contain fibre. This is the area where the body does not store this. Therefore it helps to keep the bowel functioning, which can also help to lower cholesterol and prevent constipation.
finally consuming fruit in conjunction with the meal is also important to get the day started with vitamins and minerals, but also to start the 5 a day consumption.

picture courtesy of  Sean Patterson

http://www.sdpaterson.com/