We've been taught all our lives that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Or is it? According to Dr. Judith J. Wurtman, eating breakfast may not be as beneficial as some nutrition experts (including herself) may have believed in the past. Can't we just make our minds up and stick with it?
As Wurtman points out through a narrative about driving past fast-food joints, coffee shops and bakeries on her morning commute, what Americans consider to be "breakfast" may be exactly what's making them fat. Eating a meal first thing in the morning isn't what's important when it comes to breakfast, it's what you're eating.
If you opt for something off breakfast menu at McDonald's or even just a quick a coffee and donut, you may be saving time but you're probably killing yourself slowly not making the best choices. Protein is what the body needs to get off to a good start daily - not sugar and fats, which instead of waking the body up may do the exact opposite, according to Wurtman. This means you're better off with a scrambled egg sandwich and a cup of greek yogurt than most breakfast cereals. She explains:
The two brain chemicals involved in thinking quickly and sharply (dopamine and norepinephrine) are made when the amino acid tyrosine is eaten. Tyrosine is found in protein, and when these two brain chemicals are in short supply, eating protein will activate their synthesis. Presumably anyone going off to a job or school requiring some thinking and mental responsiveness would benefit from a breakfast containing protein.
Carbohydrates tend to make people feel calm and mellow; and fat goes further in this behavioral direction and leaves the eater dull and tired. Although these feelings might be appropriate as a prelude to sleep, this is not the way we want to feel early in the morning as we set out to face the obligations of the day.
The best option according to Wurtman is not picking up food on the go, but rather making it at home, or bringing your own breakfast foods with you to school or work to eat later in the morning. Even if you're not hungry, the most important thing is to drinking water and rehydrate after a night's sleep. Remember, you are what you eat. Do you want to be a high-fat McDonald's breakfast platter? Gross.
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