Consequences of Not Eating a Healthy
Breakfast

From LoveToKnow Diet

The consequences of not eating a healthy breakfast don't just affect you during the morning hours before lunch. It is proven that they have an impact on you all day long.

oj and bagel

Consequences of Not Eating a Healthy Breakfast

By not eating a healthy breakfast, you cheat yourself all day. Several detrimental consequences affect your work performance and ability to focus. This is in addition to consequences that affect your health.

Work-related Effects

  • Tiredness or likelihood of experiencing fatigue early in the day
  • Inability to focus
  • Decreased alertness
  • Less memory capacity
  • Higher chance of irritability or restlessness

Health-related Effects

  • Greater chance of weight gain due to unhealthy snacking
  • Higher risk of developing diabetes
  • Increased possibility of high cholesterol
  • Higher potential for high blood pressure

Benefits of Eating a Healthy Breakfast

  • Higher consumption of necessary minerals and vitamins
  • Decreased intake of fat and cholesterol
  • Better focus and ability to stay on task throughout the day
  • Increased chance of weight control
  • Better problem-solving skills
  • More alert
  • More creative
  • Increased hand-eye coordination

There's No Time For Breakfast

There's always time for breakfast. If you don't think you have the time, you may just have to plan ahead or think outside the box to fit breakfast into your routine.

By taking a few minutes out of your evening the night before, you can prepare simple things or lay items out for breakfast the next day. For instance, a breakfast casserole can be made the night before and provide a good for breakfast the next two or three days. Or, fruit can be cut up and prepared to take with you. Plan ahead and separate out a serving of dry cereal and set it with a banana, ready to grab on the go as you leave for work or school.

It just takes a little planning to have a breakfast planned for on the run.

What is a Healthy Breakfast?

There isn't just one answer to this question. It can include a variety of things all the way from whole wheat toast to a bagel and cheese to dry cereal to fruit to veggie pizza. Breakfast can be traditional or non-traditional; pre-packaged or cooked from scratch. It can takes a lot of time to prepare or be something you pick up and take on the go.

One suggestion offered by the Mayo Clinic staff is that a breakfast made up of a variety of food types is best. A good breakfast could include whole grains, fruit and low-fat protein or dairy sources. The clinic staff explains that this type of breakfast provides a person with complex carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat. They indicate that this type of breakfast sticks with someone for hours, putting off hunger pangs for much of the morning.

A good breakfast should include three of the following four groups:

  • Fruits and Vegetables (fresh varieties or 100 percent juice without added sugar)
  • Grains (Bagels, hot or cold whole-grain cereals, Melba toast, crackers, whole-grain rolls or low-fat bran muffins)
  • Dairy (Skim milk, low-fat cheese such as cottage and natural cheese or low-fat yogurt)
  • Protein (Peanut butter, hard-boiled eggs, water-packed tuna or slices of lean meat)

When this type of a breakfast plan is followed, you're sure to feel better and more alert in the morning. By skipping breakfast, you're just setting yourself up to be tempted by unhealthy choices at work when hunger hits. If you don't give in to that hunger, when you go to lunch, you're apt to over-indulge due to being hungry.

If the above type of plan doesn't work for you, it's perfectly alright to veer from this with other non-traditional foods such as a tortilla and salsa or a smoothie. Just make smart choices about the kinds of food you're eating.

Above all, don't think you don't have time. You can even make wise choices when eating out and going through the drive through lane on your way to the office. Bagels, English muffins and other rolls aren't bad for you and are much better than croissants or doughnuts. You have choices that can lead to a healthy life and deter those unwanted consequences of not eating a healthy breakfast..

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Comments

Hi Flexx,

Thanks for sharing your recipe for an easy, healthy breakfast option. Blender recipes offer plenty of healthy on-the-run recipes for breakfast and all the meals.

-- Contributed by: Donna Sundblad

I'll tell you what I do. In a blender, I add half cup of oatmeal, or high fiber cereal like Kashi, 1 scoop of protein powder, 2 tbsp flax seeds, add water, some coffee, you can add some of your favorite fruit, blend it up real good! It's the best breakfast you can eat, already predigested, healthy fats, fiber, oils, vitamins! Drink up! Who says you have no time to eat breakfast!? I do!

-- Contributed by: flexx

Hi Sam,

Experts conflict over whether or not we should eat breakfast, but a recent study shows that adolescents who skip breakfast have a higher risk of being overweight later in life. If you don't take in enough calories, your metabolism will slow down because it thinks you are in survival mode. Then when you do take in a normal about of calories, your metabolism is still slow and does not burn them efficiently and leads to weight gain. I suggest you have some fresh fruit on hand. It's easy and good for you.

-- Contributed by: Donna Sundblad
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