Why Not to Skip Breakfast and Still Lose Weight

Losing extra pounds of weight is good but losing them in a healthier way is more important. Don't skip a breakfast. Eat a balanced breakfast that can fill nutritional requirement of your body. You can make your breakfast more delicious by adding variations in food stuffs.

Fruit juice is fine but recommendation is 4 to 8 ounces serving. Milk must be encouraged before juice is served. The protein content of milk is a very important point to be considered. Solid fruits are much better than juice as it is more filling. If time is the obstacle the table should be all set in the night before, with everyone's cereal boxes and bowls. And when there is real rush, one can just pack a breakfast sandwich, such as peanut butter and apple slices, that the child can eat on the way to school.

Though the idea may sound bad, one can wake up earlier and fit breakfast into the routine. One has to take 10 or 15 minutes to eat a decent breakfast. It the parents sit down to breakfast, children also follow them. In some families breakfast is the only meal people have together to connect.

Cheddar cheese, whole wheat bread, scrambled eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, banana/apple slices, yoghurt, strawberries, high fiber breakfast cereals, almonds - all these can be mixed and matched, and interesting breakfast items can be made. With microwave, grill, toaster all at hand nothing is really a big deal.

A good morning meal should provide energy that burns steadily all morning long. For these who think that skipping breakfast is the answer to weight control medical researches point out that this is counter-productive. Study after study shows that people who skip breakfast take in more calories later in the day than people who eat three evenly spaced meals. The following suggestions will help in overcoming obstacles to a healthier breakfast.

• If a person is just not hungry in the morning he must start small. Drinking a glass of juice or eating a handful. Later on, when he really feels hungry, he can take some low fat yoghurt, a wholegrain sandwich, or a slice of low fat cheese.

• If there is no time for breakfast he must keep some quick to prepare foods on hand like wholegrain cereal, non fat milk, instant hot cereal packets or low fat yoghurt. One can prepare and package foods the night before. For example, cut up fresh fruit, or spread peanut butter on whole wheat bread and pack it to go for the morning. One can also spend a little time during the weekend preparing foods for the week. Good diet is often just function of good planning.

• Thinking must go beyond the box. What is wrong with a bowl of vegetable soup and some wheat crackers for breakfast? Leftovers can be just as good for breakfast as they would be for dinner.

Breakfast to be ideal must consist of one-third or less animal protein (preferably low fat) and two-third or more vegetables, fruits, wholegrain and beans.