7 reasons why you shouldn’t skip breakfast

Let’s take a look at what happens to our bodies if we regularly skip breakfast…

Breakfast is probably the easiest meal of the day to skip. But, skipping breakfast can lead to unhealthy habits and a slower metabolism. An unhealthy breakfast can also set you up for a day of bad eating habits!

1. Your body starts using its energy reserves

By skipping breakfast in the morning, although you may feel fine, your body has to use its energy reserves to get you moving, thinking and doing. Because your body has not been supplied with energy from food after fasting overnight, it tries to preserve your energy levels by slowing down your metabolism.

2. This means you burn fat at a slower rate!

Your body thinks you’re starving – it’s just trying to help you out by making your fat stores last over a longer period of time! A few hours later, you’re probably feeling pretty hungry. You may start to crave high carb, high sugar foods – this is your body telling you it needs energy pronto!

3. Cravings can become too hard to control

You may end up grabbing a big muffin from a café or overeating some other food high in refined carbs, sugar or fat. Now your blood sugar levels have drastically spiked, giving you a burst of energy! – but, this energy burst is only short lived. As your body stores away all of the sugar very quickly, you are hit with a major energy slump.

4. Productivity can drop

This can make your workouts much harder or make your brain foggy and slow. What happens next? Your body wants that quick energy fix again. How does it achieve this? It makes you crave sugar and refined carbs. Thus, the cycle of cravings!

Now let’s see what happens when don’t skip breakfast…

5. It is great for your metabolism

When you wake up and have a healthy breakfast high in fibre, protein and healthy fats, your body will happily function without having to use its energy reserves.

This means it does not need to slow down your metabolism, in fact it will help boost your metabolism, especially if you have a good dose of protein in there!

6. You burn more fat

This means your body will be more effective at burning fat! Your high fibre breakfast will slowly digest into your body, giving you long-lasting energy. This prevents energy slumps and thus, prevents cravings.

Instead, your body will slowly become hungry and because your energy levels haven’t suddenly slumped, you’re less likely crave foods high in refined carbs and sugar.

7. Fewer Cravings throughout the day

You will be happy eating your healthy wholegrains, fruit and vege rather than craving those foods that give you that quick and temporary energy fix!

Remember, breakfast doesn’t need to be huge! Regular smaller meals throughout the day that are high in fibre, protein and healthy fats will keep your metabolism higher and prevent cravings! Skipping meals is counterproductive when it comes to curbing cravings and weight loss!

Brekkie recipe Recipe.

Check out this weeks healthy breakfast recipe with dessert like characteristics! Tip – make this for dessert on Sunday then save the leftovers for breakfast throughout the week!

Time: 1 hour Serves: 6 Cost: $8 approx. ($1.33 per serve)

Baked fruit base:

• 4 apples
• 2 cup berries
• ½ lemon
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla

Crumble topping:

• 1 cup oats
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 2 TBSP maple syrup
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Greek yoghurt to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180^oC (fan-forced)
2. Base: THINLY slice the apples approx. 2mm thick (make sure they are thin otherwise they won’t cook properly).
3. Add apples, berries lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl and mix
4. Add to bottom of a large baking tray
5. Bake for 15mins
6. Topping: Mix oats, cinnamon vanilla, maple syrup in a bowl – use fingers to mix evenly.
7. Evenly spread over apples.
8. Bake for 30mins.

Serve with Greek yoghurt!