When it comes to weight loss, it's impossible to overestimate the value of a good breakfast. The correct breakfast will give you the energy you need to face the day, crush your exercises, and burn calories to get rid of those excess pounds. However, the crucial word here is "right"; not all breakfasts are created equal, and there are a few problematic breakfast habits that could be slowing your metabolism and keeping you from reaching your desired weight.
We chatted with nutrition expert Anastasia Gialouris, MS, RD, CDN to learn more about why breakfast is important for your overall health and to find some of the worst, metabolism-slowing breakfast blunders. She advised us to never skip breakfast—or protein for that matter. All of her wisdom can be found below!
1. Ignoring breakfast
While you may believe that eating as little as possible is the greatest method to lose weight, Gialouris explains that this is not the case. As it turns out, skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do for your metabolism. When you sleep, your body goes for a long time without food, therefore you should feel it when you wake up.
"Your metabolism has been resting all night and is already at a low level upon waking due to the lack of work it had to do in the previous hours, when it didn't have to digest any new food coming in," Gialouris explains. "Eating breakfast can thus kick-start your metabolism and get it up and going again. On the other hand, skipping breakfast keeps your body in this 'fasted' condition, causing your metabolism to slow down owing to a lack of stimuli (aka food)." Yikes! This is just one of the many reasons why starting your day with a nutritious, satisfying meal that will keep you fed and energized throughout the day is such an important healthy practice, especially when it comes to weight loss.
2. Inadequate protein intake
So you've decided to have breakfast every morning. That is an excellent start, but it is only half the battle. It is critical that you make intelligent dietary choices; well-balanced meals are critical to your weight loss quest. "Another behavior that can impair your metabolism is eating an imbalanced breakfast, particularly one low in protein," Gialouris says. In fact, having a protein-rich breakfast is one of the most effective ways to enhance your metabolism.
"Not only can protein contribute to satiety (feeling full after eating), but it can also enhance your body's ability to burn calories more than carbs and fat," she explains. "This is related to a phenomenon known as the 'thermic effect of food,' or TEF, which is a modest rise in metabolic rate following food consumption."
How does that work exactly? "When you eat, your body must actually expend some energy (aka burn calories) to digest, absorb, and store the nutrients in the meal you've just consumed," Gialouris explains. And when it comes to TEF-rich foods, protein is the best. As a result, Gialouris recommends "adding a protein source in your breakfast such as eggs, yogurt, nuts, to name a few, to assist improve your metabolism." Perfect!
In conclusion
Whether or not breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there's no doubting that it's crucial, especially if you're attempting to maintain your metabolism and lose weight. So, make sure you always give your body what it needs in the morning, and always include some protein!
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