Breakfast is the neglected meal of the day - often rushed or skipped.
But yet Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it provides your body with the nutrition and fuel to kick start your day and lays the foundation for lifelong health benefits. Breakfast provides energy to make it through the day and keeps our metabolism high as well. It’s easy to skip breakfast when you are in a rush: walk the dog, get the kids ready for school, feed the cat, iron the blouse we’re planning on wearing to the office etc. Often making a healthy breakfast just doesn’t seem to fit in a lot of times.
So many people opt for these as breakfast options, they are just loading themselves with empty calories with not much nutritional value that could just turn into body fat:
- Sugary or carb-filled: Pancakes, waffles, toast, donuts, pastries, scones, bagels, pies, sugar cereals, breakfast bars, muffins (which, let’s face it, are usually just cake). Carbs are OK but the problem with many breakfasts is that they are low in fat and protein, and nothing but empty carb calories. Carbs start your day with a high blood-sugar level, which will result in emmission of insulin; the insulin removes sugar from blood, turning it's excess into fat. The result very shortly is low blood sugar levels, which results in cravings for more carbs. You’ll be on a roller-coaster blood-sugar ride all day as this cycle repeats itself 2-3 times during the day and is a major cause for diabetes, high blood pressure and extra weight.
- Fatty. Fried eggs, sausages, bacon, cream cheese on your bagels, cheesy omelettes, Egg McMuffins, Sausage McMuffins, hash browns, anything English or Scottish. Too much fat means excess calories and sure weight gain.
Some people skip breakfast because they sleep too late or because they think it's a way to stay thin. But skipping breakfast doesn't help people maintain a healthy weight. In fact, someone who skips breakfast tends to eat more calories throughout the day as your blood sugar levels drop below normal level and you experience cravings and a drop in energy. Chances are you'll revert to simple carbs to achieve quick surge of blood sugar to overcome drop in energy and hunger. Simple carbs will cause an immediate surge of blood sugar levels and substantial insulin emission, which turns the sugar into fat and the cycle repeat itself during the day a few times, as explained above in the too-sugary or carb example of a breakfast.
A healthy breakfast should consist of a variety of foods, for example, whole grains, low-fat protein or dairy sources, and fruit. This provides complex carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat — a combination that delays hunger symptoms for hours. So your morning meal doesn't have to mean loading up on sugar, fat and cholesterol. Making nutritious breakfast choices can set you up for healthier eating all day long.
If there was a way to have an easy healthy breakfast - would you do it? Choose one item from 3 of the following 4 food groups:
- Fruits and vegetables: Fresh fruits and vegetables, 100 percent juice without added sugar.
- Grains: Whole-grain rolls, hot or cold whole-grain cereals high in fibre.
- Dairy: Skim milk, low-fat yogurt cups or low-fat cheeses, such as cottage and natural cheeses.
- Protein: Hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, lean slices of meat and poultry, or fish, such as water-packed tuna or slices of salmon.
People who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:
- Eat more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol.
- Have better concentration and productivity throughout the morning.
- Control their weight.
- Have lower cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.
Breakfast is especially important for children and adolescents, those who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to have better concentration, problem-solving skills and eye-hand coordination. Plus they may also be more alert, creative and less likely to miss days of school.
Our bodies have over 100 trillion cells which demand 114 different nutrients every single day that provide energy and nutrition and nourishment to our body. Plus water.
There are 4 criteria of a good, healthy breakfast:
- Provide body with all vital nutrients to rebuild the body.
- Provides the body with energy in terms of protein and complex carbs to help body burn the calories and sugar.
- Provides the body with water, a couple of glasses before and a couple after breakfast.
- Helps to maintain a normal blood sugar levels.
- Balanced protein breakfast supplies our body with all vital nutrients without increasing blood sugar or insulin levels.
- Reduces cravings for carbs during the day.
- Controls apetite, cravings for carbs diminish and the body uses stored fat to get energy.
Herbalife's Formula 1 Nutrition Healthy Shake is an easy way to satisfy all these points and will feed your body with ALL the nutrients needed for good health and that would be difficult to achieve with any other regular breakfast, unless you eat 1000 calorie and nutrient packed breakfast of eggs and wholegrains and fruit and veg, etc.
Herbalife's meal replacement shake is not only a balanced, low calorie meal, but also a healthy shake that is a quick and easy option that can be prepared the night before or on the spot - it takes a couple of minutes only...
Just pour some semi-skimmed or soya milk in your blender, add any of six delicious flavours of
Formula 1 Nutritional shakes, and you can even add fresh or frozen fruit, if you like. Blend it well for a lovely, frothy texture and enjoy on it's own or preferably with
Formula 2 multivitamin supplements.
Together these two nutrition supplements will give your body all the nutrients it needs, in a perfect balance, it will fill you up for up to 4 hours, balance your sugar levels, give you plenty of energy, help you sleep better, it will also help manage your weight or even help you lose weight if you fancy one of those instead of lunch or dinner, they would help improve your general well-being, it will positively influence your mood and is great for your digestive system. It truly is an intelligent meal that is one of a kind and that whole family can enjoy. They are just great for kids too; my kids just love them, especially younger one as I was taking them also during pregnancy and started him on it when he was just 6 months old.
As Dr Louis Ignarro, Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine in 1998, has said "Change in diet can improve your health but taking Herbalife products can improve your lifestyle". This is so true as making positive changes with diet surely does make a huge difference, but, nutrition you get from consuming Herbalife shakes and supplements is optimum nutrition that can take your health on a completely new level.
So, whatever you decide to do for breakfast, just remember the benefits of a healthy breakfast: *Be more mentally alert and ready for the day
* Improve mood by keeping your blood sugar levels even
*Better cope with stress
*Consume less calories throughout the rest of the day.
So, set a good example for family and friends - set aside a few minutes in the morning and fix a smoothie before you head out the door! They will notice the difference in you.
