EAT BREAKFAST
Remember the old saying, "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper"?
We may remember it, but how many of us actually act on it? The answer is, hardly any of us.
In fact, it has been estimated that as many as 25 per cent of us don't touch breakfast at all. There are some compelling reasons, however, why we should break our nightly fast every morning. When you wake, it is likely you haven't eaten anything for about 12 hours and your blood sugar levels are seriously low.
Launching yourself into the day without getting those levels back up can lead to headaches, dizziness, nausea, mood fluctuations and a lack of concentration. Physically, you might feel acutely tired as well as unco-ordinated. The chances are you will also experience hunger pangs mid-morning, driving you to sugar: a doughnut, a chocolate bar, a muffin, say, which contain plenty of fat and few nutrients. Then comes a burst of insulin (secreted as a response to the increase in sugar), which leads to your blood sugar levels crashing. Dieters especially can yo-yo through the day as blood sugar levels rise and plummet. To diet successfully and keep your body performing efficiently these levels need to stabilized.
You have heard it before, but here it is again: porridge. Porridge is a great way to start the day. Other foods that can help keep your sugar levels stable and which will carry you through the morning are muesli, wholegrain toast, and a boiled or poached egg. There is nothing wrong with consuming about 500 calories for breakfast - 650 for men - as part of a healthy, controlled diet. Many of us think that by skimping at this time of day we save some calories for later, but by not eating when we first get up, we are more likely to want to fill up (and overfill) later.
In fact, it has been estimated that as many as 25 per cent of us don't touch breakfast at all. There are some compelling reasons, however, why we should break our nightly fast every morning. When you wake, it is likely you haven't eaten anything for about 12 hours and your blood sugar levels are seriously low.
Launching yourself into the day without getting those levels back up can lead to headaches, dizziness, nausea, mood fluctuations and a lack of concentration. Physically, you might feel acutely tired as well as unco-ordinated. The chances are you will also experience hunger pangs mid-morning, driving you to sugar: a doughnut, a chocolate bar, a muffin, say, which contain plenty of fat and few nutrients. Then comes a burst of insulin (secreted as a response to the increase in sugar), which leads to your blood sugar levels crashing. Dieters especially can yo-yo through the day as blood sugar levels rise and plummet. To diet successfully and keep your body performing efficiently these levels need to stabilized.
You have heard it before, but here it is again: porridge. Porridge is a great way to start the day. Other foods that can help keep your sugar levels stable and which will carry you through the morning are muesli, wholegrain toast, and a boiled or poached egg. There is nothing wrong with consuming about 500 calories for breakfast - 650 for men - as part of a healthy, controlled diet. Many of us think that by skimping at this time of day we save some calories for later, but by not eating when we first get up, we are more likely to want to fill up (and overfill) later.
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