The morning hour is said to be golden, nature smiles and the whole world is pleased. One feels, fresh and energetic. The mind and body are already in high spirits; a good breakfast is a must to maintain your energies flowing throughout the day, till you go to bed. I come across a number of persons who don't eat or drink anything apart from tea/coffee until noon, then they get voraciously hungry, and to satisfy their hunger they eat sumptuous lunches, which results in overloading of calories. This, in turn, decreases their alertness and efficiency in afternoons and also results in weight gain.
A good breakfast helps you to pull through the day without the afternoon slack and arrests obesity crisis. It is not necessary to eat as soon as you are out of the bed but for maximizing performance and energy levels, you should eat within three hours of waking up.
Samples of a good breakfast:
- Fresh fruit + 1 cup milk + 1-2 whole wheat chapati/bread/upma/poha/dal chila or
- One glass of fresh fruit juice + 1 egg + 1-2 slices of bread or
- One fruit + 1 low-fat cheese sandwich + 1 cup milk
This kind of breakfast is low in fat and good for weight conscious people since high-fat foods take a longer time to digest as a result of which the mental energy diminishes. Therefore one should avoid stuffed paranthas, fried sev, papdi, puri bhaji, vada etc. Also, do not include bacon or ham or sausages, butter, pastries, cakes etc.
If away from home on a holiday or a business tour and the choice is very limited, then opt for a breakfast-like one glass of milk with cornflakes/muesli/wheat flakes + fruits or a veg sandwich with tomato, cucumber without butter/mayonnaise etc. + fruits or steamed idlis/dhoklas with little sambhar and green chutney. If one has to rush out of the house early morning and don't have time for breakfast, have some dry fruits before leaving and carry a fruit or two along and munch them during the course of travel. Breakfast means breaking the fast of the previous night which is the most important meal of the day. So eat healthy breakfast and charge up your 'battery' for the whole day's hectic schedule.