The benefits of breakfast
Nutritionists consider breakfast the most important meal of the day, yet many of us, either because we don’t have the time or the inclination, regularly go without it.
At a time when you need all your energy reserves to feed your new baby, it’s crucial you don’t overlook yours.
Breakfast, as the word suggests, literally means ‘breaking the fast’.
After going 10–12 hours overnight without food, your energy reserves are low and your body, and perhaps more importantly your brain, needs fuel.
Studies show that people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, have a higher intake of key vitamins and minerals and are less likely to suffer from colds than those who skip their first meal of the day.
Ideally you should be looking to consume around 25% of your daily calories from breakfast (for a man eating 2500 calories a day this would be around 625 calories, for a women eating 2000 calories, around 500 calories).
Like any other meal, a balanced breakfast should include foods from each of the food groups.
It’s also a good time to get at least two servings of fruit. For instance, one small glass of fruit juice, 1 tbsp of raisins, 7 strawberries or 1 sliced banana sprinkled over your cereal. If you can tick off two servings at breakfast, reaching your ‘5 a Day’ should be a doddle.
Did you know?
A healthy low fat breakfast - something like a glass of fruit juice followed by a bowl of Kellogg’s Bran Flakes with semi-skimmed milk and a banana - will provide:
- 100% of your Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) of vitamin C
- 70% of your RDA of folic acid
- 53% of your RDA of iron