Aging Backwards Tuesday Tips #20: The Beauty of Breakfast

Busy schedules affect the way we eat, obviously, but here are some statistics to "chew on." Nearly four in ten adults usually skip breakfast, what's been called "the most important meal of the day." More than half of the breakfasts eaten by Americans every day are consumed in ten minutes or less - usually alone - which is kind of surprising, since breakfast was rated the second-favorite meal of the day, after dinner, in a recent survey.

The National Weight Control Registry is a database of more than 5,000 people who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off for long periods of time. Seventy eight percent of the people in the registry found that eating breakfast daily was an excellent weight control strategy.

Cold cereal tops the list of most common breakfast foods, cited by 31 percent of those who eat breakfast. Where did the concept of cereal for breakfast originate? John Harvey Kellogg was a doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan and an advocate of vegetarianism. He is best known for the invention of Corn Flakes cereal with his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, in 1897. John and his brother did not actually invent the concept of the dry breakfast cereal, though. That honor belongs to Dr. James Caleb Jackson who created the first dry breakfast cereal in 1863, which he called Granula, probably the predecessor to what we now call granola.

Healthy Breakfast Tips

1) Start the day in a healthy way. It's probably been 10 to 12 hours since you last ate, so use the first meal of the day to refuel with healthy food choices. Some studies have shown that having breakfast can actually boost your metabolism.

2) Think out side the (cereal) box. Instead of opting for the usual cold cereal, try having vegetables for breakfast. If the thought of having veggies so early in the day is not appealing, try sauteeing them and folding them into an egg white omelet.

3) Feed your brain. Researchers at the University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School did a study that compared three groups of normal weight adults. One group ate no breakfast, one group ate a healthy breakfast and the third group ate what is considered an unhealthy breakfast. Participants were tested for cognitive performance 30 minutes after mealtime, and then two hours and four hours later. Results confirmed that eating breakfast of any kind, even the unhealthy breakfast, was beneficial. Skipping breakfast consistently caused hunger and led to performance difficulties on tasks requiring concentration.

4) Wake up 10 minutes earlier. Many people cite lack of time as an excuse for skipping breakfast. Setting your alarm to wake you up just ten minutes earlier may give you the extra time you need to jump-start your day.

5) Variety is the spice of life. According to the Mayo Clinic, a healthy breakfast should consist of a variety of foods. Including whole grains, low-fat protein or dairy sources and fruit in your first meal of the day can provide complex carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat — a combination that delays hunger symptoms for hours. Whether you choose traditional options, such as yogurt, a whole-grain muffin or cereal, or less typical foods, such as leftover vegetable pizza or a fruit smoothie, you can get the nutrients and energy you need to start your day.