Breakfast is a very important meal. It should make up at least 25% of the daily calorie intake. After the overnight fast, the body needs to recharge and replenish its glycogen and carbohydrate stores to function properly. In addition, a good breakfast helps to increase intellectual performance, especially concentration and memory throughout the morning.
For Herbalife, specialist in the sale of nutritional products, the cravings that many people may have in late afternoon or early evening are often due to a breakfast that is poorly balanced or almost non-existent. After fasting at night, the body needs to recharge its glycogen stock, especially carbohydrates, to function properly. So it is important to have a balanced breakfast in good quantity to avoid snacking. These are really the nutrients that the body needs at this time of day and this is what it assimilates and digests best.
Pitfalls to avoid for your breakfast
First, avoid commercially available breakfast cereals that are often intended for children and adults. The problem with these cereals is that they have been processed so much that in the end they have more nutritionally interesting things in them. They are far too sweet and the glycemic level is far too high.
Secondly, avoid cookies, even the breakfast cookies. The concern is that all cookies will give you too much sugar in the morning and that’s really the time of day when you don’t need them much. And thirdly, beware of breakfast that will be eaten too quickly or too late in the morning, because the purpose of breakfast is to provide you with just the right amount of energy after a long time without eating. Herbalife advises you to take it no later than one hour after waking up, which will prevent you from feeling like snacking during the day.
The right reflexes for an ideal breakfast
First of all, you have to choose your starch source carefully. You can take cereal, but it should be raw unrefined. For example, oat flakes that you can easily find at the supermarket. If you want other types of flakes that are gluten-free, you will find them in organic stores instead. For bread, choose wholemeal bread or bread with a rather low glycemic index. It is also advisable to have a breakfast rich in animal or vegetable proteins. You can add almond puree to your wholemeal bread slices, for example. You can also, if you like savoury food, add cheese to your slices of bread.
According to Herbalife, a breakfast should be as rich in fibre and fat, two essential elements to avoid hunger. To do this, add butter or almond purée to your toast or you can also take a handful of seeds or oleaginous fruits such as sunflower flax seeds, almonds or nuts.