Skipping Breakfast – A bad idea
Chef David Hall
While breakfast is considered by most health professional as most important meal of the day, it is often the most skipped meal of the day. There are several reasons (or excuses) for skippi...
Skipping Breakfast – A bad idea
Chef David Hall
While breakfast is considered by most health professional as most important meal of the day, it is often the most skipped meal of the day. There are several reasons (or excuses) for skipping breakfast, including getting more sleep, saving time, or eliminating a few calories in order to shed a few pounds. While adults need a balanced breakfast in order to perform at peak performance at work, kids are significantly at greater physical, intellectual and behavior health risk when skipping breakfast. Getting kids to learn good eating habits can make a huge difference in their development, learning, physical wellness as well as mental and educational development.
Kids and adults both need a wholesome, nutritious morning meal in order to recharge both body and mind. By recharging the brain and body, you’ll be more efficient in just about everything you do. Preparing a good breakfast need not take a huge investment of time. The few minutes of sleep you might get is hardly a good trade for what you would benefit from a light and healthy breakfast.
My father, a school teacher, encouraged his 5th and 6th grade students to bring a piece of fruit or snacks to class to munch on throughout the day in class. Sadly, many (if not most) schools do not trust kids to make good decisions and forbid bringing food into the classroom. I am convinced that a piece of fruit or healthy protein energy bar in the backpack will make a difference in one’s ability to learn. It is not rocket science that a hungry tummy prevents the mind from learning.
Further, skipping meals puts the body into a starvation response. People who skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight are actually more likely to cause weight gain than weight loss. The development of obesity is strongly linked inconsistent eating patterns. Starting the day with a light breakfast and continuing “grazing” on healthy snacks not only is a great way to maintain healthy weight but also nourishes our children’s brains while in school and ours while at work.
It’s important for parents to teach their kids of the importance of the morning meal and the role it plays in maintaining good health and preventing obesity. Skipping meals (especially breakfast) actually make weight control more difficult. When we skip breakfast we are likely to eat more food than usual at the next meal to satiate our hunger. Several studies suggest that people tend to accumulate more body fat when they eat fewer, larger meals than when they eat the same number of calories in smaller, more frequent meals.
Those who follow my writings know I prefer chewy steel cut oats over the mushy and slimy processed quick oats that have significantly less healthy fiber. Yes, steel cut oats do take a while (30 to 40 minutes) to cook properly, but there is a simple trick to getting this extremely healthy breakfast food on the table in short order in about ten minutes. The key is a little planning and cooking ahead. Try this time-saving shortcut to a healthy high fiber breakfast that’s just plain yummy.
Quick Steel Cut Oats
1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups water (the night before)
½ to 1 teaspoon salt
1 more cup of water (at breakfast)
Bring three cups of water to a rolling boil.
Add the salt and oats and stir.
Return to a boil then turn off the heat and cover overnight.
The next morning, add the last cup of water, cook for 10 minutes and serve.
Top with dried fruit, or whatever.
Give it a try and see how little time it takes to get a good start on the day. Join me next time to learn how to make a fast power drink as an alternative to traditional breakfasts, now that berries are in season.
Be blessed and be well,
Chef David Hall
Thyme for a Chef, LLC
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