Breakfast Fort Worth is the most important meal of the day. Eating it regularly improves kids’ performance on vocabulary tests and math problems and teaches them how to deal with frustration.
A breakfast that combines carbohydrates with quality protein and healthy fats provides balanced, sustained energy. Skip the sugary cereal and reach for whole-grain toast topped with avocado or nut butter.
The body’s energy source is glucose (blood sugar). When you eat food, your digestive system breaks it down into the simple sugar glucose that your cells use. Your body stores some of this glucose in your liver and muscles for quick access, and the rest is used right away. Your brain, which needs a constant supply of glucose, gets its own share from your bloodstream. The glucose is derived from the carbohydrates you eat, and your blood sugar levels are kept stable by a healthy balance of carbohydrate consumption and physical activity.
When you skip breakfast, your glucose levels drop. This can lead to a “sugar crash” that may make you feel tired, irritable and hungry throughout the day. The resulting energy imbalance can also affect your mood and concentration. When you eat breakfast, your blood sugar and energy level are restored to normal.
In fact, a number of studies have shown that people who regularly eat breakfast are at a lower risk for weight gain and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is important to note that most of these studies are observational, which means they cannot prove cause and effect.
If you find yourself skipping breakfast, try to make it a priority again. Choose foods that provide a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. The best choices are whole grains, such as oats, wheat bread and rye; fruit; yogurt with a variety of fruits and no added sugar; and eggs. In addition, you can include a serving of lean protein, such as chicken or turkey, in your breakfast to help promote muscle health. Avoid high-fat options, such as bacon and sausages.
Focus
The word focus invokes images of a clear image or perhaps the sound of a teacher tsk-tsking students to pay attention in class. But the true meaning of the word is much more interesting. It’s the ability to concentrate your interest or energy on one thing, while ignoring other things. To focus is to narrow your attention, which in turn increases your ability to perform a task or complete a goal.
The ability to focus is directly related to the fuel you put in your body. While it is not uncommon for kids to skip breakfast, when it becomes the norm, it can have negative impacts on their health, well-being and school performance.
Historically, breakfast has been considered the most important meal of the day and in recent years it has been implicated in weight control, cardio-metabolic risk factors and cognitive function (although the literature remains somewhat mixed). The food consumed at breakfast is unique because it breaks an overnight fast. For that reason, it provides an opportunity to refuel the body and mind with healthy foods.
For many people, breakfast tends to be more of a “grab-and-go” than a sit-down meal. But even if you don’t have time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, it is possible to start the day with a nutritious one.
For example, if you choose foods that are high in fiber and protein and low in sugar, they will help keep you feeling full for longer and provide your body with the fuel it needs to get through the morning. This will help you stay focused throughout the day. And it will help you resist the temptation to snack, which can lead to excess calories later in the day.
Weight Management
As time goes on, it seems like breakfast has taken an ever-increasing place in the public mind as a food that helps us maintain an optimal weight, manage cardio-metabolic risk factors and improve cognitive performance. However, at the moment it appears that there is still a lot to learn about how breakfast is best consumed and what impact it might have on overall dietary quality.
Certainly, there is a wealth of data on breakfast intakes from national dietary surveys. But significant variation exists in definitions of breakfast and breakfast skippers as well as methods used to relate breakfast food and nutrient intakes to overall diet quality.
For example, children who eat breakfast tend to do better in school, get more iron (an important mineral) in their diets and are less likely to be overweight than those who skip it. In addition, adults who eat regular breakfasts tend to be more successful in weight loss and maintenance programs.
However, the current research on breakfast largely relies on observational studies that cannot prove cause and effect, especially when comparing breakfast consumers to non-consumers. In addition, the quality of breakfast consumed can vary greatly.
For instance, some studies report that breakfast consumers have higher intakes of fibre, vitamins and minerals compared to breakfast skippers, while other research shows that people who eat cereal for breakfast are more likely to have inadequate nutrient intakes compared to those who don’t. This is partly because some types of breakfast cereals can be high in sugar, salt and fat, and may contain a large number of added flavourings and colourings. As a result, breakfast cereals now seem to occupy an uneasy position in the minds of many consumers, teetering somewhere between sugary snack and healthy alternative.
Immune System
The immune system is a network of cells and proteins that protects the body from pathogens (germs) like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. It also fights cancer and other diseases. It is a complex system that is difficult to understand fully, but it is known that it functions by recognizing problems, communicating with other cells and launching responses.
Immune cells — including B lymphocytes, NK (natural killer) cells and T lymphocytes — circulate in the bloodstream and reside in specific tissues or organs. These cells sample and monitor the body’s environment, looking for signs of trouble. They detect foreign substances, called antigens, which are anything that triggers an immune response, such as a bacterium, virus, toxin or pollen.
The immune cells can bind to and tag antigens, which makes it easier for other immune cells to recognize them. They can also directly attack the intruders or release chemicals, such as cytokines, that control the immune response.
During an immune response, specialized immune cells are created from precursors in the bone marrow. These cells include natural killer cells, T lymphocytes and macrophages. They have special receptors that can identify antigens, process them into small fragments and present them to T-cell receptors on the surface of other cells. The immune system is also able to remember antigens that have triggered an immune response, which allows it to react more quickly when those same antigens reappear.
Some of the immune cells are dispersed throughout the body while others converge in lymph nodes, such as the spleen. The spleen and lymph nodes act as communication hubs, sampling the information brought in from the bloodstream. If they see antigens, they will activate and then leave the lymph node to circulate in the body.
Mental Health
A mental illness can affect the whole person – including their emotions, thinking, behaviour and relationships. It can also make it difficult to cope with everyday life or take part in activities like school, work and caring.
Eating breakfast can help with your mental health by giving your brain the energy it needs to function. But skipping breakfast can make you feel sluggish and struggling to focus. Studies have shown that when people skip breakfast, they are at a higher risk for low mental performance and lower academic achievement, compared to those who regularly eat breakfast.
Having good mental health is important because it can make you more resilient to stress and give you the ability to think clearly, communicate effectively, learn new skills, be productive and find enjoyment and meaning in your life. It is also key to forming and maintaining fulfilling relationships, dealing with conflict and finding a balance between rest and activity.
People often have a mix of factors that contribute to their mental health, such as genetics and aspects of social learning and culture. These can also interact with the environment and lifestyle choices. It is important to know that mental illnesses are not your fault and recovery is possible.
You can look after your mental health by exercising, sleeping well, and spending time in nature (for example, walking or gardening). You can also get support from family, friends, a support group or professional therapists. Some people may need medication and/or psychosocial treatment to manage their symptoms and improve their mental health. A mental health service, primary care clinic, community health services, or other organizations can provide this.
