Breakfast has widely been considered as the most important meal of the day by many nutrition experts for years. It makes sense to get up and eat a nutritious meal to supply your body with fuel for the day. However, I have come to realize that breakfast does more harm than good for the general population.
Think about it for a second. What are the most common breakfast foods in America? Cereal, donuts, pancakes or waffles, breakfast bars, weight loss shakes, coffee with artificial flavoring and syrup. Quick and fast is the prefe
rred meal for most busy families. However, all these options are loaded with sugar that will cause you to crash a few hours later. Plus these foods are not really providing any nutritional value for running a healthy body.
If you are truly a healthy eater and stick to eggs, breakfast meats, and fresh fruit then you are probably the exception. Many people will also break the breakfast mold and have non-traditional foods in the morning. Leftovers from the night prior such as baked chicken, veggies, and salad is a much better option if you plan on eating first thing in the morning.
Intermittent fasting is gaining more and more attention in the world of nutrition. This option is voluntarily fasting for a period of time from 16 hours to a few days. Advocates of this eating pattern are finding fascinating health benefits such as controlling levels of insulin, reducing inflammation of chronic diseases, healing the gut and digestive conditions, and rapid yet safe weight loss. This is not a calorie restricting diet. It is recommended that you also eliminate all grains and sugar for maximum benefits. Dr. Mercola’s website is a great resource to learning more about intermittent fasting.
http://www.mercola.com/infographics/intermittent-fasting.htm
I suggest you look into unconventional options for maintaining a truly healthy diet. If you have any medical conditions, it is important you consult a qualified practitioner to guide you through it safely. Be a student and learn as much as you can about nutrition and your body, not a blind follower of what the public perceives as healthy. Because it is not getting the results of a leaner, healthier America.
Our mission at Desired Health Chiropractic is to help athletes achieve a higher level of sports performance. If you found value in this article we ask that you share with your friends, family, or teammates. Until next time, stay healthy and reach for your goals.