KEY #1: NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST
Everyone has heard the old saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why is this so? Several studies in adults and children support this statement. Breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers, eat a more nutritionally complete diet, have improved concentration levels at school and work, possess more strength and endurance, and are less likely to snack on foods higher in fat and sugar during the day. Breakfast eaters also have lower cholesterol levels and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who did not eat breakfast everyday were at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Another study in 2013 performed by the journal Circulation showed eating breakfast was associated with a lower incidence of heart disease in men between the ages of 45 and 82. The study also found that skipping breakfast was associated with elevated blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and hypertension. The journal Obesity conducted a recent study showing that people who ate breakfast as their largest meal of the day lost an average of almost 18 pounds over 3 months. The other study participants consumed the same number of total calories per day, but ate most of their calories at dinner, but only lost an average of just over 7 pounds each over the same time period.
BREAKFAST STRATEGIES FOR YOUR CHURCH
- You’ve heard of the “Men’s Prayer Breakfast” or “Women’s Breakfast Group”. Now you can make these gatherings more relevant than ever before. Do them more frequently. Draw new participants.
- Coffee and donut alternatives like fresh fruit, nuts, whole-grain baked goods and juices can become the cool new choices before or after your worship service.
- Create the Pastor’s Menu. Find the restaurants where your congregation eats breakfast then send the pastor their on a mission to find the healthier choices. A menu featuring your leaderships’ recommendations is forward thinking and a great way to expand influence in your community.
- If your church has a food ministry or supports a food ministry then commit to giving the disadvantaged and homeless healthy breakfast foods. Expand a soup kitchen into a “breakfast buffet”.
A healthy breakfast including a lean protein source proved to be the most beneficial formula for aiding in weight loss. In 2007, researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center compared weight loss patterns between two groups of women who ate the same number of calories for breakfast five days per week. The only difference was that one group ate a bagel for breakfast and the other group are two eggs. “Compared to the bagel eaters, overweight women who ate two eggs for breakfast five times a week for eight weeks as part of a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet, lost 65% more weight, reduced waist circumference by 83%, reported higher energy levels, and had no significant difference in their … blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels,” reports researcher Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, PhD.
People often cite a lack of time in the morning when rushing off to work or school as a chief reason for not eating breakfast in the morning. Breakfast can be quick and healthy. Except for a few rare times a year, like vacations and holidays, I’ve personally eaten the exact same thing for breakfast for the past 20+ years, and it takes less than 3 minutes to prepare. I microwave ½ cup of whole oats with some water in a bowl for about 2 minutes, then add either fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries or strawberries) and 1 scoop of whey protein. I mix the fruit and whey protein in my oatmeal, and enjoy a tasty, healthy and low-fat breakfast. Every now and then I’ll substitute some Greek yogurt instead of the whey protein, and this is also very satisfying and healthy. On occasions when I dine out for breakfast, I may eat a garden omelette with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and salsa, and a small side of fresh fruit.
CLICK TO THE NEXT PAGE for Key #2.
