by Alysha Brady

Created on: July 27, 2007

I have to set my alarm clock for 30 minutes before I actually have to get up because every morning I follow the same routine. The incessant beeping interrupts a dream I'm having, so I hit the snooze button a few times before stumbling out of bed and getting ready for the day in a mad rush. Somehow, I always make time for breakfast, and I know my body thanks me for it.

As children, we all heard our parents and teachers say that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Maybe we heard it so often that we stopped taking this mantra seriously kind of like the "fish is brain food" line that is now so outdated. This lesson about the importance of breakfast, though, ranks up there with the one about flushing the toilet. Both are essentials to know and practice.

Think about it this way. If the average person gets eight hours of sleep, and stops eating two hours before bed, as doctors have recommended, then he has gone ten hours without food. So, with breakfast the fast is literally broken. If this meal is skipped and another four hours is added to the fasting time, your body could go into survival mode holding onto body fat in order to withstand a period of starvation.

In a recent study published by online medical journals, 86% of people who successfully lost weight ate breakfast. Eating breakfast substantially increases your metabolic rate, but it usually is also the meal that people get the bulk of their nutrients from, especially fiber. Many breakfast cereals made with whole grains contain a large serving of fiber, the nutrient that regulates the digestive system and keeps you full. On average, most people who eat breakfast get about one third of their daily fiber intake from this one meal alone.

Studies have also shown that people who eat breakfast are less likely to binge at lunch; this finding is again attributed to the fact that a morning meal ends the starvation cycle your body is subject to during sleep. Also, because breakfast foods are rich in diverse nutrients, this meal stabilizes sugar and glucose levels in your body, which reduces the likelihood of an afternoon energy crash.

The benefits of breakfast are overwhelming. However, the reality is that many people cut breakfast out of their morning routine because of time management issues. All you need is ten minutes in the morning to have a healthy breakfast. High-fiber cereal is an easy option; so is whole-wheat toast with peanut butter. At the beginning of the week you can make a fruit bowl and then have quick, easy, nutritious fruit cups in the mornings. A personal favorite of mine is a hard-boiled egg, something that can be made while I get ready in the morning and is full of vitamins, minerals, and protein.

So hit the snooze button one less time, roll out of bed ten minutes sooner, and reward your body with a healthy breakfast that will keep you satisfied hours later. You body chemistry will be better balanced, your mood will be improved, and it will be easier to shed those few extra pounds.

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