Eating breakfast can help you lose weight

If you are trying to lose weight, don’t skip breakfast! Studies in recent years have shown that breakfast, indeed, can contribute to an effective weight-loss program.

Breakfast is very important, nutritionists say, because it comes after a whole night’s fast. Although your body has been sleeping, these hours during the night are when the body cells grow and repair themselves, your skin regenerates, and your mind becomes active as you dream. By the time you wake up, after eight hours or so without food, the first thing your body will need is some fuel for the day ahead.

According to Jo Duran, Consumer Services head of Nestlé Philippines, breakfast provides the energy needed for the body to have a good start and to keep going through the day’s activities. "Breakfast can refuel the body to make a person alert, physically and mentally," stresses Jo.

This first meal of the day can also be the source of much needed vitamins and minerals. If a person skips breakfast, he or she could be missing as much as 25 percent of daily intake of these vitamins and minerals, which could not be made up for with later meals.

Given the value of breakfast in terms of nutrition and overall wellness, Nestlé has embarked on its Breakfast Campaign 2003 to continue encouraging Filipinos to start the day right. Now in its second year, the campaign, also dubbed Mag-Nestlé Almusal, reminds Filipinos about the importance of breakfast in the development and performance of kids, and the health and well being of adolescents and adults.

Jo also points to breakfast as an important factor in losing weight because it reduces hunger later in the day and lessens the person’s tendency to indulge in snacks or overeat at lunch. "If you allow your stomach to really go empty, the tendency is to binge in the next meal. Then you feel guilty for overeating and maybe skip the next meal. The vicious cycle of overeating and starving goes on and on until you completely lose control of your diet. Nutritionists call this yo-yo dieting, which is a very unhealthy practice. Breakfast eaters are also better able to resist fatty and high-calorie foods throughout the day then breakfast skippers."

For weight watchers, she recommends a low-fat, high-fiber, carbohydrate-rich breakfast meal. There should be enough carbohydrates for energy, protein which is often supplied by milk, and some fruits and nuts. High-fiber breakfasts will fill you up and keep you from feeling hungry.

Cereals are a good source of carbohydrates. Other good sources of carbohydrates are whole wheat bread, rice, and root crops. They are fortified with multiple vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, iron and calcium. Milk is a good source of calcium, which builds strong bones. There is a study that says getting three to four servings of low-fat calcium foods per day may aid weight loss efforts. Nuts provide protein, fiber, magnesium and healthy fatty acids for maintaining good cholesterol levels.

Serious dieters are advised to consume foods that are low in calorie and fats, and high in vitamins and minerals. A perfect example of this is Nestlé Fitness Cereal, which can be eaten with Nestlé non-fat milk, or Nestlé Calcium Plus.

Eating breakfast is no longer a time-consuming affair. There are foods that can be prepared and consumed in a jiffy. For example, it may only take five minutes for a person to enjoy a bowl of cereals with milk and a glass of juice or piece of fruit, and, of course, a cup of coffee. Other diet options include Nestlé Yogurt and Nestlé Cottage Cheese to go with a bagel or cereals and fresh fruits. For people on the go, a healthy alternative these days is the delicious breakfast food drink Nesvita, which combines all the nutrients of soya with the ease of eating.