#Breakfast: the most important meal of the day

Break the Fast

You slept for 6 to 8 hours. You wake up and you are hungry and want to eat or you are in a rush and decide to skip breakfast and grab something quick on the way to where ever.  What is the best decision for your health?  While sleeping you are fasting – that’s where the word came from: “break-fast”.  Your sugar levels are low. Unless you drink liquids at night you are probably dehydrated (which speeds up aging – and that is a future blog).

What not to do:  grab a cup of caffeine coffee (or cola).  Caffeine may give you a boost but it also lowers your blood sugar levels. It is also a diuretic which doesn’t help dehydration.  A donut or bagel or any food sweet or starchy and high in carbohydrates will eventually lower your blood sugar even more. Then, you will either be starving at lunch time or get that mid-afternoon fatigue (or both happens). If you do this often it will be like a merry go round that you can’t stop.  What to do?

Protein, good fat, whole grain

Add protein powder

Break the cycle.  You need protein for breakfast: eggs, cottage cheese, meat or fish. Protein will keep you full, and will not lower your blood sugar. If you drink smoothies, add protein powder. A little fat is also needed: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, peanut butter, cheese, and even butter --  but no hydrogenated fats (a future blog will tell you why).  Fat slows absorption of carbohydrates into your blood stream and slows the lowering of blood sugar. So have a piece of whole grain toast or a bran muffin or a piece of fruit. The fiber in the whole grain, bran or fruit also slows down absorption of carbohydrate. Fat fills you up – your brain is geared to stop being hungry when fat is eaten. (good fats and oils is a future blog).

The Best Breakfast = protein + fat + fiber + carbohydrate (in moderation).  If you eat them together the carbohydrate and even the caffeine will have less of an effect.  And having a good breakfast will help cut your appetite later in the day. So wake up and eat up – a good breakfast.

To Your Good Health

Welcome to Everything Healthy by Jean

Welcome to Everything Healthy

Welcome to Everything Healthy.  For many years I have been advising people about health of the body – what to put in it, on it and around it.  While doing this counseling I found that most of the information people get is made more complicated than it needs to be.  Doctors, scientists, nurses, nutritionists, (and I’ve taught them all) often want to protect their own interests and do this by devising plans for diets, exercise, and life style that take a lot of time and effort.  The truth is that there are simple changes, backed by good medical and scientific facts that can improve your health, energy levels, and longevity.

So what I want to accomplish, with your input, is to talk about things that will make a difference in how you feel and how you look.  We can talk about:

Energy levels

Diet – what you eat is what you get (or don’t get)

Feeding your body’s cells – they all have different appetites

Dieting and weight loss – don’t start a diet before you do this

What to do about cravings: sugar, alcohol, nicotine, drugs

Exercise

A healthy house

Looking healthy

Slowing down aging

Boosting your immune system

Natural stress relief

Vitamins and minerals come in different forms – which ones can your body absorb?

Herbs can be nutrients or drugs

Supplement safety – how or whether to mix them with prescription drugs

Healthy hints for your dog or cat

Let me know what else you would like to talk about.  This blog is for you.

 Coming soon (sign up for notification): The most important meal of the day

 Best of health,

  

Jean