September is Better Breakfast Month

I am not sure who sits on the board of official months and deems things like February, Black History Month or that August is National Goat Cheese Month (it really is), but I feel like if I were to sit on such a committee, then some month, one that has thirty one days of course, would be National Give a Guy Named Mike a Dollar Month.  I don't want to be piggish and expect a fiver.  A single will do me fine.  But everybody has to participate.  It would be un-American not to!

September really is Better Breakfast Month, in order to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy breakfast.  Here are some facts that might help you adopt a improved morning routine when it comes to breaking your plus or minus 12 hour fast:

• The American Diabetes Associations says that breakfast eaters tend to have more strength, endurance, and better concentration and problem-solving abilities.  The opposite is true for those who skip a morning meal.
• The Harvard Medical School reports that those who eat a healthy breakfast are much less likely to become obese.  Breakfast eaters tend to consume far fewer calories throughout the day if they started their day off eating right.
• Eggs may be a better options that even the healthiest of cereals.  I recent study by both Louisiana State University and St. Louis University showed that when breakfast is eggs as opposed cereals of all kinds, the egg breakfast is more inclined to reduce Body Mass Index (BMI).  After eight weeks, those who consumed eggs with a energy deficit diet (consuming fewer calories than you burn) had 65% more reduction in BMI than those ate a healthy cereal based breakfast.  
• Several studies have shown that schools with a school breakfast program have higher scores in standardized tests.  The same holds true for grades and test scores of children that had a good breakfast at home, particularly in math.
• The National Weight Control Registry concluded that of 3000 people studied who had lost 60 pounds or more, 78% had a strategy for a healthy breakfast.
• "Eating breakfast of any kind prevent(s) many of the adverse effects of fasting," such as irritability and fatigue, according to Bonnie Spring, Ph.D. , University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School.  So the next time a co-worker is a crabby ass, ask them if they had breakfast.  If they don't slug you, take them to a diner!

These are just a few reasons that a weight loss regimen should include a quality breakfast.  Preferably one that contains a balance of complex carbohydrates, heart healthy fats and some protein.  It's been a key component of my success for sure, not to mention it is my favorite meal of the day.

Cya tomorrow,

M

What I ate today and how I exercised:

Breakfast ~ Grape-Nuts Cereal w/banana and almond milk (maybe I shoulda had eggs?)

Lunch ~ My lighter pulled pork with homemade slaw and pickles on whole grain bread

Dinner ~ Homemade tandoori chicken, brown rice, broccoli and asparagus

Exercise ~ None today, I am ashamed to admit.