Goodmorning with a good breakfast!

Breakfast is the first and most important meal of a day. Although all type of meals contribute to a good health, breakfast seems to stand out among others.

During the sleep, which is considered as a prolonged fasting period, body consumes nutrients, vitamins and minerals in order to maintain the functionality of brain, muscles and tissues. The word breakfast derives from the words “break” and “fast”, and it means that breakfast aims to provide all the necessary nutrients to the body after the sleep.

The importance of breakfast on student’s performance plays a key role as well. Many studies have revealed that students who eat breakfast regularly have a greater ability to concentrate, better visual memory, greater learning ability and can resolve mathematical problems much more efficiently. There is also supportive evidence that breakfast is associated with reduced levels of anxiety, stress, fatigue and sleepiness throughout the day.

Moreover the breakfast seems to be beneficial not only for spiritual but also for physical health, for adults too. Although it seems quite logical that skipping breakfast will help to lose weight due to reduced calorie intake, prospective studies have revealed exactly the opposite. Individuals who choose not to omit their breakfast are more self-restrained, can easily manage the quantity of their meals, while it seems to have a better quality on the overall diet process. In particular, frequent consumption of meals, including a rich breakfast, is associated with enhanced nutritional education, greater daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and lower consumption of unhealthy snacks.

In addition, evidence supports that people who eat breakfast regularly have lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the future, due to less visceral fat. Many studies have highlighted the beneficial role of breakfast in the prevention and therapy of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. More specific, people who do not eat breakfast, have 20% higher risk of developing diabetes, whereas, daily breakfast consumption is associated with lower serum levels of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and blood sugar.

Therefore, our daily morning wake up it should be accompanied by a rich and balanced breakfast, which contains all type of macronutrients (complex carbohydrates, lean protein and essential fats acids). The Mediterranean diet can include oats, fresh fruit juice, dairy products and whole grain cereals which are rich in nutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, B vitamins, vitamin C, insoluble and soluble dietary fibers), who shield the body for a beautiful and healthy start of the day.

Recommended breakfast meals:

• Skimmed milk with oat and honey
• Skimmed milk with muesli, dried fruits and nuts
• Light yogurt with whole grain cereals/oat and fresh seasonal fruit
• Porridge with amaranth and fresh/dried fruits
• Fresh fruit juice with whole grain bread, honey and tahini

In VIta4you you can find several whole grain cerals and plant milks.