HEALTHY START… Boiled eggs and toast are a healthy way to start the day
Our beauty blogger Catherine McCurry on why breakfast is the most important part of the day…
WE HAVE always been told from a young age that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and rightly so.
People are under the misapprehension that skipping breakfast will help you lose weight, but it’s quite the contrary because breakfast helps waken up your metabolism in the morning and gives your body the energy it needs to help burn calories to lose weight.
The people who skip this meal do so for a number of reasons. Some say they just don’t want to eat that early in the day, they are not hungry, too lazy to make something or prefer to sleep on and skip breakfast.
Previous research has proved that people who eat breakfast find it easier to lose weight and sustaining a healthy size however, those who skip morning meals eat bigger portions at lunch or dinner time and tend to snack more.
Breakfast helps waken you up and makes you less moody, and if you eat healthily in the mornings, it is more likely you will continue this throughout the day.
The standard and most convenient morning meal are cereals.
I’m not a huge fan of cereals – unless it’s porridge. I find they are flavourless, high in sugar and has little contribution to what I need to kick-start my day.
Yes, in a time constraint morning they’re quick and easy but you have to be careful with the amount of fat, sugar and salt you eat in one meal so it’s a good idea to alternate your options.
Over the last number of years cereal companies claim they have reduced their sugar content, however, a recent survey found that some 30 out of 50 popular cereals were high in sugar with the highest being Kellogg’s Frosties – it contains 37 per cent sugar.
Make a habit of checking the side of cereal boxes and it will tell you the exact content – try to opt for something that’s below 12.5% sugar.
The healthiest reported cereal was Nestle Shredded Wheat which is low in sugar, salt and fat. To add flavour try mixing it with fruit and flax seed.
If I’m having porridge I like to bulk it up with frozen berries, honey and flax seed – it’s very filling and keeps me going until lunch time.
I would eat eggs most other mornings as they’re quick and easy to make. My favourite is poached eggs on wholemeal bread (no butter) with salt and pepper.
Scrambled eggs are easy to make – I use coconut oil with a small amount of milk, salt and pepper.
To add a bit of flavour try sprinkling feta cheese and chives and add avocado to the side. Delicious, filling and healthy.
In the evenings you could prepare a fruit salad – place it in the fridge and in the morning top it off with some low-fat Greek yoghurt.
Another super-healthy suggestion for a morning meal is a smoothie.
My favourite is mixed berries – strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Best kick-start to the day, especially for those who enjoy morning exercise.
