Right start with healthy breakfast

Fuel up yourself with breakfast and start the day right

Did you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?  A good breakfast provides the nutrients that you need to start your day off right. “Jump-starting” the day with breakfast benefits everyone – children, teens and adults.

A day without breakfast is like starting your car without fuel.

Breakfast means just what it says: “breaking an overnight fast”. It is the first chance the body has to refuel its glucose levels, also known as blood sugar, after 8-12 hours without a meal or snack. Glucose is the main energy source for brain and also helps to fuel muscles for physical activity throughout the day.

A. Better nutrition throughout the day:

A good breakfast prepares your body for the rest of the day by boosting your energy, keeping your eating patterns even and stimulating your body's metabolism. A good breakfast usually has cereals, fruits, milk and yoghurt which contribute carbohydrates, calcium, protein, fibre along with vitamins and minerals to your diet. It’s possible to provide 25% of the daily nutritional needs by breakfast itself - the first meal of the day. People who miss breakfast usually don’t make up these nutrients later.

Consumption of a healthy breakfast makes you far less likely to indulge in high calorie snacks or overeating during lunchtime or later during the day.

B. Improved attention, alertness and activity:

If you start the day hungry your body stays in a fasting state which makes it much more difficult to concentrate. Breakfast skippers often feel tired, restless or irritable in the morning. Breakfast eaters perform better on all mental tasks,are calmer and less anxious.

C. Eating breakfast helps you maintain a healthy weight.

Skipping breakfast is not an effective way to lose weight – in fact people who skip breakfast are more likely to be heavier than those who find the time to have some food in the morning. High fibre and protein choices will help you feel full for longer and can help prevent you from snacking on high fat, high sugar choices mid-morning, which is what can happen when your blood sugar levels drop and your body is craving a quick sugar fix.

D. An immunity boost:

As breakfast eaters have high intake of key vitamins and minerals, they are less likely to suffer from colds and are less likely to be overweight. They also have lower blood cholesterol levels.

Nutrition by breakfast: A well-balanced breakfast should provide adequate energy and nutrients and contribute to at least 20-25% of daily energy and nutrient needs. The meal should include different foods from different food groups and cooked the healthy way. The food groups and recommended serves you should choose from are:

Whole grains and cereals – 2 servings
Fruits/vegetables – 1 serving
Milk and milk products- 1 serving
Pulses/ dals and nuts – ½ serving
Fats and sweets – ½ serving

Some healthy breakfast options:

• Choose high fiber wholegrain cereals than refined flours and go for oats, porridges, muesli. Going the milk and cereal route is a perfect way to combine protein and carbohydrates
   
• A wheat bread or multi-grain bread sandwich with veggies, sprouts and toppings like low fat cheese, low fat butter, etc. can be a good option
   
• Fruit smoothies with NESTLÉ SLIM Dahi or fruit and nut milkshake with low fat milk
   
• If you are trying to reduce weight you could opt for NESTLÉ SLIM Milk. NESTLÉ SLIM Dahi can be consumed topped with fresh, frozen or dried fruit or nuts
   
•  A whole fruit of your choice can be picked up
   
• Eggs(scrambled/poached eggs with less fat/boiled eggs) and sprouted pulses could be included in the breakfast
   
• Traditional breakfast items like idli, suji, upma, poha with low fat content can also be consumed
   
• A cup of NESCAFÉ Coffee is a nice way to start the day

Take the breakfast challenge to get up a little early, enjoy the coolness of the day, and focus on fueling your body. You will have more energy throughout the day and your body will respond by maintaining a healthier weight.

Thus it has rightly been said:

Breakfast like a king
Lunch like a prince
And
Dinner like a pauper