The Most Important Meal of the Day

Hey everyone, first I'd like to thank everyone for 11 followers! I started this blog on my last day of school in May, and to gain so many awesome followers by the end of July is just amazing! Thank you all so much!

So I think I've mentioned this before, or you've heard it from just about everyone, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! And it's true, you should never really go without breakfast. But it seems that breakfast is one of the most commonly skipped meals. Many may skip breakfast to try lose weight, or because they don't think they have the time for it, or maybe they just don't like the taste of breakfast food. But whatever the reason, it shouldn't be an excuse to not eat something in the morning. Especially on a busy day!

Eating a healthy breakfast can actually help you to lose weight, believe it or not! In fact, people who don't eat breakfast actually tend to gain weight. Sounds crazy right?! And you would think that one less meal would mean losing weight, but that's not the case. It's been shown that people who skip breakfast tend to overeat, and choose less healthy, high-calorie foods later in the day. Hunger can often take over good judgement when it comes to food choices. More information can be found at this link.  

*of course though, it wouldn't beneficial to eat  cake, cookies, or other  unhealthy foods for breakfast. Breakfast should be a healthy meal. 

Probably one of the biggest excuses to not eat breakfast is not having enough time for it. Especially during the school year, or if you have to work in the morning. Since it is still summer, unless you have a job or sports practice to go to early in the morning, this shouldn't be an issue at all as you have plenty of time to eat a good breakfast. But I sometimes skip breakfast in the summer, especially when I wake up around noon or lunchtime, and go right to lunch, not always a healthy lunch either. (If you are waking up around noon, or later, it may not be a bad idea to start waking up a bit earlier as summer starts to wind down, and back to school season approaches.) If you tend to wake up around lunch, a peanut-butter and banana sandwich, can serve as a great breakfast/ lunch.

I tend to skip breakfast the most on school days, days where we need breakfast the most! Normally because I just don't feel like making breakfast, or I just don't feel hungry in the morning. And I pay for it later in the school day when I'm hungry, and tired and crabby from being hungry, and I can't grab my lunch when I want to. I have more then enough time in the morning (Do I REALLY need to spend an hour on Facebook every morning?) but I just don't always eat something. And there are many people out there who don't have time I have in the morning, some who still always eat breakfast, and many who don't... You don't have to make a big pancake breakfast (as yummy as it is!), a simple bowl of cereal, toast, or some fruit will do just fine. If you don't have 2+ hours of time in the morning like I do. (LOL, I wake up REALLY early, even though I don't leave until 7:00), or even an hour of time, here are a few things you can do:

♥ Wake up just a few minutes earlier- Everyone loves, and needs their sleep. But it shouldn't be a reason to skip breakfast. If you usually have to run out the door, waking up 5-10 minutes earlier will allow you more time to eat, and you won't have to leave out parts of your morning routine. It doesn't have to be a huge breakfast that takes a long time to cook or eat. If you usually have relax time in the morning, you can eat your breakfast in this time if you don't want to wake up earlier (eating breakfast shouldn't be stressful.) 

♥ Grab quick, on the go breakfast foods- if you are really in a rush and need to make it to a bus stop, or walk to the school quick, grab something you can eat on the way there. This does not mean grab a pack of snack cakes! An apple or banana are perfect healthy choices for on the go. Cereal bars also make a great quick breakfast on the go. If you usually run out the door in the morning, plan what you'll take with you the night before and set it in a place where you can easily get to it. (Or if you never know what to choose, even if you do have time. You should think of what you'll want the night before.)

*just remember to take care of the earth and  throw your trash away in a trash can! DON'T LITTER.  It won't hurt to hold it until you get to a trash can. And while banana peels and apple cores do decompose, nobody really wants to look at them on the ground. Ick.

♥ Eat breakfast at school- If your school serves breakfast in the morning and you have enough time for breakfast when you arrive at school, eat breakfast there. While most schools will charge for breakfast (typically less then lunch prices), it would be worth it to get your most important meal of the day in. If you get free or reduced lunches, your breakfast may also come at a reduced price, or even free. This may depend on your school. While we all love to hang out with our friends in the morning, they can wait until you finish (or they can sit with you, and eat with you if they tend to skip breakfast as well!) 

♥ Reconsider your morning routine- I'll be doing a whole blog post on this when I get into my back to school blogs. But you should try to make breakfast work into your morning routine. You may need to reprioratize a few things. 

There are many things you can eat in the morning, even if you are short on time, or if you don't like how breakfast food tastes. I don't really have any special recipes, but here are a few of my favorite foods to eat in the morning:

-Toast. This can be done so many ways! You can just put butter on it, maybe even put a little cinnamon or sugar on it. Or even make PB&J, or Peanut-butter and banana. 

-Toaster strudel. It's probably not the healthiest, but it's really good and there are many flavors to choose from!

-Waffles. Freezer waffles can be popped in the toaster can can be ready within minutes. though i usually like to take my time eating these. 

-Cereal. Simple and quick!

-Muffins. If we have muffins in the kitchen I usually like to go for those. I just love blueberry muffins in the morning!

-Fresh fruit. When I'm feeling lazy, I'll reach for a banana or an apple to munch on. It's quick AND healthy.

I am very guilty of skipping breakfast at times, and many of us are. I've also grabbed very unhealthy snacks for breakfast as well, even though I know better. But it should never become an everyday thing. You'll feel a lot better, and more energized if you eat a good breakfast (and don't forget a good night's sleep!). What do you like to eat for breakfast? Do you tend to skip breakfast, or do you eat it daily? Let me know! Back to school blogs coming next week! Maybe even sooner!