EAT SMART
Power for mornings
SHILPI MADAN
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It’s the most important meal of the day; make sure you don’t miss it.
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Photo: K. Murali Kumar
First meal of the day: Skipping breakfast lowers metabolic rate.
“Breakfast — the name itself is specific; it means to ‘break the fast’,” says fitness expert Leena Mogre. “Your first meal after dinner the night before. It is your first meal of the day that must not be missed.”
Think about it. You often make do with just a mug of tea or coffee, maybe with an occasional biscuit, and by lunch your stomach is virtually growling. This is the when you just can’t resist a quick fix snack, an unhealthy choice that adds to unwanted calories in your daily intake.
Refuel the body
“Your morning intake is the most important meal of the day, and with good reason. Breakfast is important to refuel your body after a night’s sleep. The eight or more hour gap between dinner and breakfast is the longest span between any of three meals of the day,” explains nutritionist Naini Setalavd.
“While you are sleeping, the body needs fuel to keep your heart beating, nerves transmitting, and cells dividing, just to name a few. Much of that fuel comes from the readily available stores of glucose in the blood, liver and muscles. By sunrise, the body is essentially in a fasting mode. That first meal of the day literally breaks the fast. That’s why breakfast is so important, especially if you exercise in the morning. If you skip breakfast, blood sugar levels drop, and fatigue, poor concentration, irritability and lethargy are the results.”
You cannot lose weight by missing meals. You can actually eat breakfast regularly in keeping with even the rest of your average five, nutritionally sound small meals of the day and still maintain a healthy weight.
Metabolic rate
“Skipping breakfast makes it harder for the body to lose weight,” affirms fitness specialist Shalini Bhargava. “Your body’s metabolism slows down during the night. When you forego breakfast, you lower your metabolic rate further. This also lowers your blood sugar level and makes you feel lethargic. You yourself then set the stage for impulsive snacking or eating king-sized portions for lunch or dinner.”
Quick fix
A recipe from nutritionist
Naini Setalvad
Vegetable porridge
Ingredients:
250g Broken wheat or oats
100g vegetable (like gourd, carrots, beans)
Salt
Turmeric
8-10 peanuts
Coriander
Method: Cook all ingredients well on a low flame. Serve hot with half a spoon of olive oil or ghee. Garnish with chopped peanuts and coriander.
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