Is Breakfast The Key To a Successful Day?
Think back to when you were growing up. Remember what your parents, teachers, Magic School Bus and just about anyone of authority would say if you said you do not or hate eating breakfast. The immediate response would be “but it is the most important meal of the day!”.
The idea of skipping breakfast was put forth as the antichrist of health; do it at your own peril and risk the rest of your day
The general belief is that if you want to perform and feel your best, you might not want to skip breakfast. [Some people like Malcolm Gladwell on the other hand, would disagree]
And yes, a sound morning routine that includes a nutritionally balanced and specific breakfast is key to ensuring a successful day.
What Health Goal Does Everyone Have?
But what is the one unifying health goal that 95% of people list when they come in for their Neurofunctional Chiropractic Assessment and that the public wants?
If you guessed it is to be pain free, you would be close but incorrect!
The most frequent health goal of our patients, and the majority of people on the internet is to lose weight. It is a billion dollar industry because it is a universal concern.
Better health outcomes are associated with less adipose tissue and abdominal fat and having a “healthy” weight is well, healthy.
If someone is serious about losing weight or just revamping their body and health in general, a comprehensive approach that includes a reorganization of how they eat (diet), how they move (exercise), how they think (mindset) and how they recover (sleep etc) is best.
Weight Loss!
On the diet side, I really believe that the most influential meal isn’t breakfast, lunch or dinner, but what happens in-between.
Think about it this way: you are working really hard to reorganize your diet and are maybe even working with a trainer or dietician that has got you eating really nutritious meals threes to four times a day. All the food groups are covered, your calorie intake is optimal for your needs, your protein intake is sufficient and you have even considered your gut’s health. Great!
However in between these meals it is easy to consume up to 500 or even 1000 calories of nutritiously empty foods when you add up the lattes (150 cal), muffins(110+ cal), afternoon snack, and dinner that includes dessert (a lot of calories) and a glass or two of beer (150 cal) / wine (120 cal). These “treats” and snacks become meals in and of themselves. Not only do these calories add up, but most snacks also lack any nutritional contribution and are typically hyperglycaemic.
Replacing, and in some cases cutting out the meals in between the major meals, can be the easiest and bring about the most profound health changes.
If you are already working hard to change your health by improving the quality of your meals, this might be the final piece of the puzzle.
If you do not know where to start, the in-between meals might be the easiest concern to tackle first.
The easiest six things to make a monumental shift are
- Take your coffee or tea “black” and without milk + sugar / sweetener
- When it comes to sweets, muffins, croissants, be like Nancy and “just say No!”
- Make dessert a piece of fruit
- Always have some vegetables (and hummus!) or nutritiously dense food packed for a snack.
- Avoid artificial sweeteners because they might make you hungrier than you really are.
- Less alcohol at night means fewer calories and a better sleep.
This is nothing revolutionary but I think it is really important to step back and make sure that there are no missing pieces holding you back from reaching your goals.
– Dr Alex
