Break Fast For Optimum Health
Break Fast For Optimum Health. That breakfast is important is denoted by the name itself. At some point, we either break our fast, or just keep fasting — and eventually, starve. But what should we eat?
Much else about breakfast, what we eat and when for instance, also tends to be a matter of conventional habits. A paper was published in the journal Physiology and Behavior suggesting, of all the heresy, that skipping breakfast might actually help with weight loss. A group of Cornell students was assigned to eat breakfast, or skip it, and then simply eat as inclined over the remainder of the day. Those who skipped breakfast never fully made up for the omitted calories, and thus took in fewer calories by day’s end. Were this effect to last, it would imply a potential benefit of breakfast skipping in weight loss efforts.
But, of course, there is the time-honored convention that skipping breakfast is the last thing the weight-conscious want to do, and we’ve had recent research to reaffirm that claim as well. A paper based on the CARDIA study in young adults, published in Diabetes Care, found that habitual consumption of breakfast appeared to be protective against obesity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes
Yet another study published, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, focused on overweight Latina and African-American girls, ages 8 to 17. Those who ate breakfast routinely, as compared to those who ate breakfast inconsistently, were more physically active and had a lower body fat percentage.
More documentation of eating breakfast, is found in the publication in Circulation of a study showing an association between breakfast skipping and increased risk of coronary heart disease. This paper reported that men who skipped breakfast were significantly more likely to develop heart disease than those who did not, largely resulting from the expected risk factors along the way: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. A similar adverse association was found for eating late at night, which was seemingly linked to breakfast skipping.
My advice:
1. Break your fast with wholesome foods — keep it healthy, simple, and around the 12-hour mark from your last meal.
2. Be conscious about the quantity of everything you eat.
3. Choices matter! Be sure your breakfast is filled with protein and fiber (I love greens!)
4. Don’t skip breakfast.
VANILLA, STRAWBERRY, AND FIG PARFAIT
This breakfast parfait also includes brightly colored strawberries and figs. Strawberries are a fantastic source of vitamin C, and they’re known to have antiviral properties. Figs can benefit digestion, and yogurt adds a creamy source of protein.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Oats
- 12 oz Plain Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 medium figs, quartered
- 1 cup strawberries, halved
Directions
1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the yogurt, honey and vanilla together.
2. Add the oats.
3. Layer the oat mixture with the fruits in two Mason jars.
4. Add the lids and let the jars chill the fridge overnight.
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 parfaits
Amount per Serving
Calories 367
Calories from Fat 45.2
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5.02g 7%
Saturated Fat 1.9g 9%
Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 87.56mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 71.27g 35%
Dietary Fiber 7.05g 28%
Sugars 45.94g
Protein 12.64g 8%
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 4%
Carbs 77%
Protein 13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.