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I grew up to love breakfast more than other food. This was because my mum made sure that my siblings and I ate breakfast before we went to school. When I gained admission to the university, I continued my breakfast culture. I also found it interesting to know that my best friend also had the same food culture. We both loved breakfast and we rarely skipped it.

You may say that the breakfast is just the first food of the day.
Breakfast is not just the first meal of the day; it is an important meal of the day. Breakfast has an effect on your health and that is what this post is all about.

Breakfast, as the name implies, is the breaking of the overnight fasting period. It is meant to provide the essential nutrients that your body will need all through the day. A healthy breakfast has many benefits, some of which includes:

A. Glucose

Imagine a car without fuel or a washing machine without power. What do you think will happen? Whatever will happen to your car without fuel or your washing machine without power is the same thing that happens to when you skip breakfast.

Glucose is your body’s power. The glucose in your body is the reason you have the energy to work and engage in your daily activities. However, glucose is gotten from food eaten. After your overnight fast, your glycogen level is already low and it is important that you boost your glycogen level.

What is Glycogen?

Glycogen is referred to as the stored glucose in your liver and muscle tissue. However, this glycogen is slowly released from the liver to keep your sugar level stable. The moment the stored glycogen is used up, the fatty acids in your body is broken down to produce energy.

This may cause you to lose weight. Moreover, carbohydrates provide the body with glucose and whenever carbohydrates foods are not eaten, the fatty acids in your body are used and this may cause a reduced source of energy. This explains why you may feel you have less energy when you feed on more junks than healthy carbs.

B. Essential vitamins and nutrients

Healthy breakfast provides you with the necessary nutrients and vitamins that your body requires for the day.

Essential vitamins and nutrients such as folate, iron, B vitamins and fibre will help you increase your vitality. Skipping breakfast is unhealthy. Breakfast will make you more productive and creative. Extensive research says that skipping breakfast diminish mental performance while eating breakfast reduces fatigue and makes you agile all through the day.

Despite the benefits of eating breakfast, why then do people still it? Here are a few reasons why:

1. Not enough time

I realized that I started skipping breakfast more this year. This is because on most days, I never wake up early enough to cook, so I end up skipping breakfast and eating junks at work. I have also come realize that I am more productive at work when I eat breakfast than on days when I skip my breakfast.

Not everyone lacks the time to cook or eat breakfast. There are some other factors that make people skip breakfast. These reasons include: too tired to bother about eating, a desire to sleep more and not readily available foodstuff in the house.

2. Duties and responsibilities

Due to your job or lifestyle, you may skip breakfast on some days. Research says that the older people get, the higher their chances of skipping breakfast.

Breakfast is healthy on all sides. A healthy breakfast will reduce your risks of some illnesses. Compared to people who eat breakfast on a regular basis, children who skip breakfast tend to be overweight because they are prone to eating unhealthy foods and junks.

People who skip breakfast tend to nibble on snacks to provide their body with energy. However, these snacks can be a big problem because most snacks are low in fibre, vitamins and minerals, but very high in fat, salt and refined sugar.

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If you skip breakfast, I recommend that you feed on nutritious snack and fresh fruits to help through the morning. These healthy snack and fruits will also help you stay productive.

In conclusion, a healthy breakfast is healthy. Avoid skipping breakfast as much as you can.

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Did you have breakfast today? Will you deliberately make it a part of your routine from today?

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In my next post, I will be discussing examples of healthy breakfast foods that you can start your day with. Make sure to subscribe to not miss it.