Arizona Dairy Council shares tips for breakfast

Arizona Dairy Council is a paid sponsor of Sonoran Living Live

Breakfast Boost Brain Power

Mom always said breakfast is the most important meal of the day - and research backs her up. Study after study shows that breakfast is important.  Breakfast means literally to break the fast - you haven't eaten anything since the night before and your body is looking for some fuel.  Research shows people who eat breakfast have better diets because a healthy breakfast provides nutrients that you would otherwise miss out on.  People who eat breakfast also have better attention span and memory functions - this helps both kids and adults to be more productive in their day.

There are so many common excuses to miss breakfast - which of these sounds familiar to you?
I have no appetite when I first get up:  Try getting dressed and ready for work first, you may feel hungry by the time you're all ready to go.  Or start small, try a piece of fruit or a small carton of yogurt to start the day.  Keep some breakfast snacks at the office so you can eat something a little later.

There's just no time in the morning:  We are all familiar with Morning Madness! But investing a little time in eating breakfast can help make the day more productive, which often ends up being a time saver.  Prep what you can ahead of time, make breakfast burritos or breakfast sandwiches ahead of time so they just need a quick pop in the microwave to warm up and they can be eaten on the way to work or school.  Grab and go items like a bottle of milk or string cheese also make for a great breakfast on the run.  See if there's a breakfast program at school in which your child can participate - often it's a free breakfast and by law it has to be a nutritious way to start the day.

I'm trying to lose weight:  many people think that skipping breakfast will help reduce their overall calorie intake and help them to lose weight.  Actually, just the opposite is true!  Skipping breakfast tends to lead to overeating later in the day. Most people who skip breakfast have a larger lunch and dinner -  and you end up eating more calories than you otherwise would have.  Plus, there is research that shows people who eat breakfast tend to be thinner than those who don't.  This may be because breakfast often includes whole grains, fruit and milk, all of which have been shown to help with weight loss efforts.

I get bored with cereal and don't really know what else to eat:  Breakfast doesn't have to be traditional breakfast foods, it can be anything you like - try to include foods from 3 food groups to get the variety of nutrients that you need.  Try a yogurt and fruit parfait, a cheese crisp with whole grain tortilla, shredded cheese and sliced apple, left over pizza counts as breakfast.  Try rolling a banana, cheese and peanut butter inside a tortilla, a quick and easy smoothie or a scrambled egg and cheese breakfast burrito - make up a batch on the weekend and heat them up as needed.  Grab a high fiber muffin with a glass of chocolate milk makes for a grab and go meal that fills you up and provides you with fuel to start the day.

For more great nutrition tips, visit     www.dairycouncilofaz.org       Like us on Facebook:https:// www.facebook.com/AzMilkProducers .  
And follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerriVtheRD and https://twitter.com/AzMilkProducers.   

Submitted by Terri Verason, MS, RD
Director of Nutrition Education, Dairy Council of Arizona

Arizona Dairy Council is a paid sponsor of Sonoran Living Live