We have all heard the saying that breakfast is the most important part of the day, however considering that this originated as a marketing ploy many of us are understandably skeptical. Many of us don’t have the time or simply choose not to make the time in the morning to have a substantial breakfast.
It is commonplace for someone to just have a cup of coffee along with a bagel, donut, or other small food item to go along with it, expecting that to hold us over. To no surprise really we end up eating more at each meal as the day progresses onward, which may be the wrong way to go about doing it.
Several studies have shown the metabolism boosting ability of eating a healthy and balanced breakfast which can last all throughout the day. This not only means that you are going to be burning more calories during the day with no more effort on your part, but all that extra food you are eating earlier on means that your energy levels are going to be consistently higher also.
It is also noted in these studies that the digestive process and the general activity of the enzymes used in this process is high early on in the day. This suggests that it is more beneficial for us to eat our bigger meals earlier on in the day, as our body is more suited to do so.
What About Weight Loss From Eating Earlier Versus Splitting Meals Equally?
A common strategy many people use in their diets is to split up their meals equally, as evenly divides up all the calories they will be eating for the day. While this makes sense from that perspective, what we now know about how the body works tells us otherwise.
Since our digestive tract is more active and metabolism is higher in the morning than it is during the night, we tend to accumulate more fat as the day progresses. This means that you aren’t going to put on the same amount of fat from eating an identical meal if done so at a different time.
What we can gather from this is that you want to keep your calorie count low as the day goes on, steadily decreasing it instead of keeping it the same or increasing it.
The easiest way to wrap your head around this is to just imagine your digestive system and associated organs as “sleeping” in the early evening and night hours, as their activity levels will be that much lower.
Is Weight Loss More About Diet or Restriction?
The research tends to point in the direction that when we eat is much more important than what we eat when it comes to weight loss. There is an important distinction to make here: in that just because something is better for your weight loss doesn’t mean it is good for your health.
It is possible to lose weight only eating foods like ice cream, chips, soda and other junk food if you simply keep your calories in check. With that being said your health will greatly suffer as a result, even though you may look healthy on the outside looking in.
Anyway, the take home point here is that just because you can lose weight through restriction doesn’t mean you should do especially if you are eating the wrong foods. Make sure to be eating a healthy diet, mainly plant based, with some lean animal protein thrown in here and there to maintain your health and weight.
What Breakfasts Should I Be Eating?
When it comes to eating a breakfast that is going to both keep you full and give you enough energy to make it to lunch, you need to be eating something that is calorie rich and also has a decent amount of protein.
Protein is the ingredient which most “healthy” breakfasts lack, especially ones designed for vegetarians or vegans. Not only is protein important for numerous processes carried out by the body, it is an ingredient that will keep you full.
The best breakfasts you can eat in the morning are things like a yogurt smoothie for example, which should contain yogurt of course, along with a banana, berries and seeds to round it out. Eggs with some vegetables and a slice of toast or oatmeal with fruit and nut butter are other good options as well.
