Tuesday, January 8, 2013

What Organ is Most Affected by Skipping Breakfast?

Most of us are always on the go which might make this week revamping your Breakfast a little more difficult than those that stay at home.  That said, stay at home moms seem to have little time to sit down and have a relaxing and nourishing breakfast too.  I would like to challenge you to really work on this.  You owe it to yourself to start and set the pace for a stress free day.  This falls into the positive affirmations.  When we think "I don't have time to sit and eat Breakfast", "can't take the time" "I'm running behind", these are all negative thoughts that stick with us and carry into our day. 

What is the one area of your body that is affected by malnutrition?  First, let me explain that someone can be affected by malnutrition even if they are eating three square meals a day.  Malnutrition is a lack of nutrients and the body is essentially starving.  You can be 400 lbs and be malnourished.  They have not lacked in foods, but they are starving their body none the less with less nourishing foods.  Foods that have vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and so forth, your live foods that are unprocessed will keep you from starving your body with empty calorie foods.

Answer: The BRAIN! 
You may think that feelings come from the heart, hunger from the stomach, and thinking with the brain, but really the brain is responsible for all three.  Your behaviors, moods, and memory are all affected by the brain not to mention over 1000 metabolic processes.  Your brain uses up 20% of your bodies energy sources.  The ability to think clearly, stay calm, make decisions, are running on 20% of your fuel you are providing.  No other organ is as demanding as your brain, yes important and affected but not as much.  Think about this next time you want to skip Breakfast and you have a meeting, driving, paying bills, studying for a test, deciding on a house, you get the idea. 


For some people we run out of time or get behind because of certain morning routines.  My husband likes to wake up to reading the news and emails.  This causes him to skip breakfast most mornings.  While he is getting ready I am making the kids breakfast and lunches.  I have to make my husband's breakfast and lunches for him to take to work.  He is someone that cannot eat breakfast that early in the morning.  To balance this I send him with a mid-morning breakfast, which he usually has sometime around 10 am.  I pack him, egg burritos, yogurt, mixed fruits, cereal bars, smoothies, and protein bars, because I like to change it up through the week.  You can have breakfast on the go and it can still be healthful.  It takes planning and follow-through to make this happen. 
You can be "eating" foods that may be satisfying your craving, but is it nourishing your body.  Remember we said that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you have been fasting and you need to fill up.  Think of your body as a car and your stomach as the gas tank.  What happens when we run out of car?  You'll need to put something in it, right?  What if you just add enough to get you from point A to B, although you will eventually have up to 15-20 stops through the day.  Your gas tank needs to have the right fuel and the right amount.  You don't want to have to keep filling up at gas stations all day long that would just be frustrating.  It sounds ridicules, but that is what we do when we don't take the time to eat a regular meal and just provide our body with quick energy snacks.  Maybe it's a donut, a slice of toast, a granola bar, or a small bowl of cereal , the list can go on with the variety of processed foods we have available for us.  We have engrained in our heads that we have so much to do with little time to do it.  We have a ton of convenience foods that boast about eating on the go, no more running behind, but are these processed foods or live foods.  I think of sugary donuts, candy bars, chips, anything you grab from the vending machines as diesel fuel for your unleaded tank.  Your car is eventually going to shut down.  It may take you a little ways, but it will stop working.  Why add a few dollars of gas instead of filling up the tank?  You will eventually need and burn that gas, but we keep only adding just enough to get us to one point or the next.  Treat your body like you want it to stay in good condition instead of needing a expensive tune up in a short time.  When the car needs to have work done on it, it can be expensive and takes away from time you need in other areas.  When we get a cold that knocks us out for a week, or a trip to the doctors off, everything gets off schedule.  I like to use the mental vision of a car because most people take better care of their cars than they do themselves. 


Where can you make more time in your morning? 
Wake up just 15 minutes earlier.
Precut fruits ready.
Have oatmeal and spices in a container ready to cook.
Make you egg burritos the night before and add some hot sauce.
Make muffins the night before and make enough for a few days that week.
Have veggies cut and ready for an omelet.
The emails and news can wait to read when you're done eating.
Iron you cloths the night before and set out to have ready.
Think of breakfast as family dinner, everyone starting the morning together.  If you have children this is the time to help train them to understand the importance of breakfast. 

I have timed my breakfast items. 
These are meals I can make in less than 5 minutes. 
  • Scrambled, boiled, or poached eggs and toast
  • Mixed fruits, bowl
  • Omelet's, when the veggies are cut the night before.
  • Parfee's
  • French toast
  • Yogurt and fruits.
  • Smoothies
  • Breakfast wraps or burritos
  • Oatmeal
Changing up the fruits, vegetables, sides, spices, and these can go on for months with a different breakfast meals using similar bases. 

What are some ways you can make more time to sit, chew, and eat breakfast without the rush?

Breakfast Get Creative, Keep it Fresh, and Make it Enjoyable.
Goals and Making Rewards That Help and Not Become an Obstacle
New Year's Resolutions That Work

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15 comments:

  1. I think precutting your fruit is a great idea. I do this regularly. I have containers in my frig filled with different fruits. Easy for a quick breakfast or even a healthy snack!

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  2. "wake up 15 minutes earlier" HAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm lucky I roll out of bed when I do, lol. Although I do try to eat...once I get to work. :-)

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  3. I always feel sorry for kids that have to go to school with no breakfast. I used to teach at a Montessori school and you can really tell who is lacking in basic needs. :(

    Dawn

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  4. We insist on the kids eating breakfast before school! If they don't eat breakfast, they can't function at all. Great suggestions about getting ready the night before!

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  5. Every morning the 1st thing I do is let the dogs out...make coffee...make my oatmeal with fruit then check my emails. If I miss the Oatmeal...I am out of sorts all day! I have my oatmeal all set out the night before and my fruit cut up. That is my bedtime routine.

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  6. WoW! I never thought about that! That is probably why I have a horrible memory..I am a chronic breakfast skipper. Thanks for the reminder.

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  7. I am GUILTY... I never eat breakfast I may eat lunch but I always eat a small but healthy dinner. I need to break myself of it in order to get my body the way I would like it to be.. PLH

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  8. Love smoothies for breakfast. I know I for one cannot skip breakfast or I get cranky and have headaches by midday.

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  9. We don't have much of an organized breakfast. I would like some better options for the kids.

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  10. I never eat breakfast! Going to start! Thanks!

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  11. I try to eat Breakfast, but sometimes I just don't have the time before class.

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  12. I need to work on sitting down to eat breakfast instead of eating while I'm moving.

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  13. I have been eating breakfast a lot better lately than I used to! It's amazing how much more ready to go I feel after at least eating a little breakfast! I have found that having fruits and veggies pre-cut makes me a lot more likely to eat them. If I don't pre-cut them and I am hungry I am going to be more likely to grab something that isn't healthy but is fast! So I always cut fruits and veggies as soon as I get home from the store with them! Such a great post! Thank yoU!

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  14. Great article! Going to make my kids read it! :)

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