Diet & Fitness Blog
Tweak of the Week: Benefits of Breakfast
Email PageStaff Writer
People don't become overweight from one bad habit.
In fact, it's a confluence of factors that led to the obesity epidemic in this country. You cannot change your body by just "doing everything right starting tomorrow." It doesn't work that way.
The experts say the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to set small, realistic goals."Tackle one unhealthy habit at a time and once you have successfully met that goal set another one," recommends eDiets Manager of Nutrition Support Tracey Ryan, MS, RD.
Face it, studies have shown that your mother was right about this -- children who eat breakfast do better in school. And breakfast is just as beneficial for adults as well. In fact, people who ate breakfast were less likely to develop heart disease or diabetes, according to a 2003 study.
"Breakfast is crucial for fueling your body, providing energy, maintaining metabolism and even improving concentration," explains eDiets Director of Nutrition Pamela Ofstein. "If you skip breakfast, you may find yourself lacking energy, hungrier and more apt to overeat later in the day."
It's obvious that everyone should eat breakfast, but so many still skip it for a whole host of reasons -- from time to taste and everything in between. The key is simply to eat something.
"Eating a balanced breakfast is the goal -- protein, carbohydrate and fat sources," Ofstein says. "But if time is a constraint or you need something convenient, you don’t always have to go with the typical breakfast -- grab a piece of fruit, yogurt and some nuts or wrap a slice of turkey and cheese in a tortilla."
Check out these five breakfast ideas, if you need inspiration for healthy breakfast foods, or simply make up your own power breakfast. There are so many ways to start your day, but skipping your morning meal is not one of them -- always eat breakfast.
Our experts can offer a lot of other small changes you can do right now. Send your questions to our nutritional experts today.
If you don't have time to cook breakfast, maybe you should just get it delivered. eDiets offers fresh breakfast delivered right to your door. Order now and get a week FREE!
Labels: breakfast, breakfast tips, tweak, weight loss
Comment by 
said... - Monday, September 15, 2008 7:49:00 AM
Agree that breakfast is most important meal of the day - good info on the breakfast meals
Comment by said... - Monday, September 15, 2008 10:24:00 PM
I found that cutting out my morning coffee ( which I drank with about 3T of flavored coffee creamer) has saved me approximately 200 calories per day!
Comment by said... - Tuesday, September 16, 2008 3:05:00 PM
if you drink your coffee with sugar, try using brown sugar. It tastes great and you need a lot less of it to sweeten the coffee.
Comment by said... - Thursday, October 02, 2008 5:05:00 PM
when i do drink coffee or tea, i ussually drink it with a scoop or two of stevia. It has no effect on glycemic index, zero calorie, it's all natural and contains no aspertame or harmful chemicals like most zero-calorie sweeteners and it tastes better than sugar. i also use two tablespoons of regular half and half, which is only 40 calories. I try to not drink coffee everyday, ussually switch off between that and green tea, becuase when i crash from the coffee i tend to be ravenous with sweets. i think it's a pretty good system and i still feel energized in the mornings
Comment by said... - Friday, October 03, 2008 10:07:00 AM
You are so right about eating breakfast. When I decided to get fit and live a healthier lifestyle, I started with breakfast. Oatmeal is a great way to start the day - not the instant kind but the old fashioned ones that you cook. Add fruit and I have a filling delicious and healthy breakfast that keeps me from getting hungry before lunch.
Comment by said... - Friday, October 03, 2008 6:05:00 PM
My Ma always told me breakfast was the most important meal of the day.She was right. I wouldn't start a car journey without fuel in it.
My wife wants to use a diet pill. Do they work?
Comment by said... - Monday, October 27, 2008 10:36:00 AM
I drink tea without sugar or milk and do not take coffee.My breakfast is heavy while my lunch is light and my dinner is moderate. In between I drink plenty of water. In this way I am able to maintain consistent weight.
Comment by said... - Friday, December 19, 2008 12:26:00 AM
Don't know for sure, but i have an feeling that ever since I stopped going off to sleep after lunch I've lost a noticeable amount of weight.
Comment by said... - Monday, January 05, 2009 4:56:00 PM
Everyone goes on about how healthy it is to eat breakfast. It's about time employers helped those of us who can't. If I ate breakfast before setting off for work or school (I'm speaking retrospectively here) I would lose it on the way (not a good traveller). I still haven't found a cure, and when I still worked my bosses and colleagues would get quite unhappy about my need to eat when I arrived at work, never mind that it was in my own time. Sigh! Thank goodness I'm now retired and can have a good healthy breakfast before I start my day.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 09, 2009 7:57:00 AM
Hi,
I work 10pm -6am.I heard many times that 6 small meals or fresh fruit snacks every 3 hrs is best. It keeps blood sugar levels staedy, prevents binging. How can I do this on 10pm-6am shift? I am male 6'2", @290lbs. Can you help me set up a healthy eating schedule?Also I heard that working this shift takes 5 years off your life?TRUE? I do or don't get to bed right away depending on how tired Iam & chores I want to do. How bad is that? What do sleep experts think are the best times for me to sleep?
Comment by said... - Monday, February 09, 2009 9:34:00 AM
I never ate breakfast, had more of a brunch around 11. decided to go the breakfast route .. 2 weeks later I've put on 2 pounds .. and had even increased my exercises.
I did better eating a big dinner and no breakfast.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 09, 2009 9:41:00 AM
Kashi GoLean cereal is an excellent choice for breakfast. I found it hard to switch from all my sugary cereals at first but Kashi is GREAT!! It really fills you up and sets your day right.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 09, 2009 1:02:00 PM
In my coffee a use diet sugar then I add a teaspoon brown sugar.I eat whenever I want,between 8AM TO
6PM and make sure I dont eat more than 1200 calories a day.I use just 1 tablespoon oil per day. I'm not eating pasta untill I get my ideal weight.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 09, 2009 6:20:00 PM
When I have a bran muffin for breakfast, I am not hungry for most of the day & do not snack. It not only fills me up, but cuts my cravings for sweets and my hunger for hours.
Comment by said... - Monday, August 24, 2009 10:41:00 AM
I looove my breakfasts! It's my most relaxed meal of the day, the only one I get to eat alone and quietly.
I soak up the regular oatmeal overnight and make it with a small mushed banana and a teaspoon of unsweetend cocoa... or dry curd cottage cheese and microwaved fruit... or a couple of eggs with a tomato or a cucumber....
Mmgh.... Breakfast!
I also learned how to make healthy muffins (with apple sauce, ~140 cals each) and have one right after coming to work, since I get up so early, and walk to the bus stop for ~20 min every morning. It holds me till more or less normal lunch time at ~11 am. :)
Comment by said... - Tuesday, January 12, 2010 3:32:00 PM
I need some help on the best coffee creamers. I use coffee-mate fat-free and I drink decafe coffee with one splenda. I've tried using fat-free organic milk from the frige but it makes my coffee to cold. I drink about 3 or 4 cups a day is there any other powder than that, that i can use that does not have the word hydrogenated in it.
RSS/XML
