A recent study published by the Huffington Post found that 31 million people skip breakfast every day. Every day! My biggest problem is holding myself to only one breakfast a day.
Another recent study found that HALF of breakfast skippers are overweight. Breakfast skippers have been shown to:
-eat 40% more sweets
-drink 55% more soft drinks
-eat 45% fewer vegetables
-eat 30% less fruit
In my informal studies, I have found 4 common reasons people skip breakfast and a few ways to help combat them.
1. "I work and have kids, how do I find time to cook breakfast?"
Here are some quick, healthy breakfast ideas that take 5-10 minutes to make:
-An apple, 1-2 ounces of cheese, and a handful of walnuts
-Green smoothie- Here are some recipes --> 5 Green Smoothie Recipes
-Plain Greek yogurt, mix in almond butter and fruit such as blueberries or strawberries
-Scrambling eggs really doesn't take that long. Heat up a non-stick pan with a little coconut oil (yep coconut oil, that’s a story for another day) over medium-high heat, when hot crack 2 eggs straight in the pan, scramble, and it only takes a few minutes. You can sauté some onions, peppers, and/or spinach to get some veggies in there.
Or if you want a few options to try before an early morning workout, you can try these for some quick, light fuel.
-1 small banana
-Toasted English muffin spread with 2 tsp. strawberry jam
-1 cup nonfat or low-fat yogurt
-Half cup of oatmeal with protein powder or peanut butter
2. "I'm just not hungry in the morning."
There are several reasons why you might not hungry in the morning and that’s ok! You might need to experiment a little to find out what works best for you. This article does a good job talking about some of the reasons you aren’t hungry first thing in the morning --->Elite Daily
You can try starting your day by simply drinking some water or doing some light exercise around the house. Many times this will be enough of a signal to your body that you are ready for some fuel. Or if you are a morning exerciser you can wait until after your workout to eat.
If you STILL don’t feel hungry, it’s fine! Don’t force yourself to eat when you’re not hungry, but make sure you have healthy food planned out for the rest of the day for when the hunger does hit.
3. "I don't like to eat breakfast in the morning because I eat too much in the evening and I am trying to save calories."
It is not as simple as just burning off the calories you put in, about 75% of the calories your body uses come from your metabolism. Going too long in between meals for days, months, and even years messes up your internal system that tells you when to say when. One of the biggest steps you can make is when you begin to start eating out of necessity and not out of habit.
4. "I don't like breakfast foods"
Who told you that you had to eat breakfast food at breakfast? They're not the boss of you! I am! Whoops, ignore that.
Don't feel obligated to eat breakfast foods just because The Man told you to. Eat whatever your stomach can handle in the morning.