Build a breakfast any time of your IMPORTANT Day!
Create a meal you love!
Have fun with your choice of food. Breakfast has been found to be one of the most, if not the most, important meal of the day. It is the meal that will kick start the next 12-16 hours you are awake and it matters what you eat. When you choose a grain, protein, vegetable, fruit, juice or sweet put thought into it. Take a moment and think about what that meal or food is going to do to your mind, body, and impact your day.
Size Matters
The size of the meal is more important than what the meal is. Eating foods of all different types is good and should be in moderation to the person’s size, needs, and goals. Choosing to eat on a plate that is small can help reduce calories and intake of calories over all. Rather than getting the largest plate you can find because you are so hungry aim to use a small bread plate instead. Portion out your food groups on the small plate to be fist size portion sizes. In a study done by Ganel (2018) using a small plate for portioning out meals trick the brain to believe their is more food and the brain informs the body they are full and satiated. Work with our dietician to create the best meal for you. Not all people should eat alike. While there are basic food groups and needs of human bodies, every person has needs specific to their own body and minds. Be easy and flexible with yourself. Think “outside the box” with your food choices. Create a menu that is right for you while making sure it is not so restrictive that it causes you undue harm. For breakfast, try to get the most out of your morning and start it right. Create a meal that is going to satiate you for the day and reduce the meal sizes and calorie amounts for the rest of your waking time for that day.
Coffee in the Morning - Benefits
Coffee is an age old staple of Americans. It is hard to imagine a day in time without coffee. The history of coffee goes back to the 15th century in Arabia and parts of the middle east before making its way into American in the late 1700s. And officially worldwide in the late 1800s (Avey, 2013).
Coffee in the mornings have benefits. For the athlete for instance, coffee can set their tone for a workout of high intensity by giving them more energy and increasing performance. At what period in the morning you drink coffee also seems to make a difference in performance. Waiting an hour to have you first cup can help to reduce the crash. The reason is that our peak of cortisol is in the morning. So if we wait just an hour to drink more cortisol (i.e., coffee) we can help our bodies to not lose energy but instead keep the stream running smoothly all day.
Avey, T. (2013). The caffeinated history of coffee. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-coffee/
Creating a meal right for you. What does this mean?
To create a meal that is right for you means knowing your body type, growth needs, age, level of exercise, and characteristics that impact how food creates energy for you. For instance as people age they tend to lower their overall food intake which ends up making them more susceptible to vitamin deficiencies (article). As we age our sense of smell and taste slowly goes away which can lower the desire to eat, thus, with lower food quantity comes consequences not only of vitamin deficiencies but also bone problems, illness, and dental issues (article). So then as we age we should be focused more on quantity and quality of the food we intake. Making sure that each food group is accounted for in a food type or vitamin form. Again, this is an opportunity to work with one of our dietitians to ensure you create a meal right for you. The younger and more active a person is the more high calorie intake needed to sustain this type out output of energy. Infants require 90-120 kcal per day; children 1-3 years old 600-1000; and increases each age on up. The child who does not receive enough calorie intake is at risk of serious health issues including stunted growth. No matter what our age, we need to understand that how and what we eat matters, and it must be considered in line with who we are at that present moment in time.