Smart Breakfast, Successful Day

By Donna Stark

Your mother has been telling you for years and you’ve read all the articles that proclaim it to be true … breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s a fact that is easy to accept after you’ve been awake for a couple of hours and are heading into the afternoon, but mornings are hard, and that simple truth can be muddled by your foggy, tired brain, can’t it? Forcing yourself out of your cocoon is difficult enough, but to then be responsible for making wise breakfast choices too? Well, for some, that may be asking for just a little too much, which is why breakfast often rides shotgun after a trip through the neighborhood drive-thru.

Common Breakfast Mistakes

A healthy breakfast fuels your body and powers your day, everyone knows that, yet so many people struggle with making smart choices in the morning. How are you doing in this department? Are you putting yourself in the position to receive all of the benefits that come after consuming a healthy breakfast, or are you making these common breakfast mistakes?

• Artificial nonsense - Beginning the morning with a breakfast loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients may sound good, but it sets you up for a roller coaster ride all day long. One minute you’re up, and the next, you’re down. So skip the neon-colored, sugar-coated cereal and choose something a little more natural to start your day with, like plain oatmeal, a hard-boiled egg, or some whole-grain toast with peanut butter.
• Sugar shock - After choosing something natural and wholesome for the main part of your breakfast, don’t ruin it by loading up on sugar with your beverage! Coffee is fine and has actually been shown to aid in firing up the body’s metabolism, but adding sugar and flavored creamers can quickly lead to the exact opposite. The same can be said for energy drinks or those crazy concoctions from the coffee shop. Don’t drink your calories and certainly, don’t ingest buckets of sugar!
• The skipped meal - It’s one thing for an adult to skip breakfast, but it’s an entirely different thing for children. Obviously, children are in a constant state of growth, so they need more energy, or calories, to get them through their day. That energy starts with breakfast. And although skipping breakfast can be manageable for an adult, it can cause tiredness, restlessness, and irritability in children. So make sure your children are eating a healthy meal in the morning and at the very least, enjoy a glass of water or a cup of coffee with them.

Dominate Your Day

Skip that morning drive-thru and leave that front seat open for something better! Choosing the smarter option and starting your day with a healthy breakfast will help your brain get rid of that morning fog and will give you the power and energy to navigate your day successfully.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Renton, Wash.