At Kate’s Kitchen, It Pays to Eat a Healthy Breakfast

It happens all the time— you slept in thirty minutes, you had to get the kids on the bus, and the only thing you had time to eat before work was the chocolate pudding cup you grabbed on your way out. Oh well, you think, I’ll eat at lunch in a few hours…it’s not a big deal. Skipping breakfast, however, can have more devastating effects on your weight and your health than you might imagine.

Health Benefits of Eating Breakfast

After fasting all night as you sleep, your body is running low on vital energy-providing calories in the morning. Recharging your body with healthy, nutrient-dense calories within an hour or two of waking up has several benefits:

• Energy. Skipping your morning meal may be at least a partial contributor to your afternoon slump, when all your energy is gone and you wish desperately for a nap. High protein foods, such as eggs and beans, are a smarter choice for a morning energy boost than carbohydrates, like potatoes or toast, because they offer much more nutrition per calorie.
• Weight Management. Many people feel like they have little trouble with losing weight. Keeping it off, however, is a different matter. When you miss breakfast, you most likely tend to snack more throughout the day, and to eat more food in the evening before bed. Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast are usually better able to maintain a healthy weight than people who do not.
• Appetite Control. Without being fed in the morning, your body begins a process that will make you feel hungrier throughout the day. After needing food for too long, your body converts more food into fat when it is fed than it otherwise would, and uses less of it for immediate energy. This is why, after missing breakfast, you often still feel tired after lunch. Your brain overreacts to your hunger, as well—even after eating a full meal, you may still feel hungry as your brain sends chemical signals that you need to keep eating, because it doesn’t know when you’ll get the chance again.
• Disease Prevention. Many diseases, disorders, and other health problems are caused or aggravated by a nutrient deficiency. Others, like diabetes, are directly related to having too much sugar, salt, or fat. A healthy breakfast is a good source of many important nutrients, especially when it includes fruit and/or vegetables, while common breakfast foods like eggs and oatmeal can easily be prepared without much added sugar or salt.

Eat Healthy at Kate’s Kitchen & Ronnie’s Restaurant

Simply eating breakfast isn’t always enough. That’s why we have healthier, more nutritious breakfast options here at Kate’s Kitchen and Ronnie’s Restaurant. Eating at home? Try a grilled chicken and egg wrap to jumpstart your day, or fuel up for the long haul with a bowl of oatmeal topped with fresh fruit and honey. No time to cook? Order a to-go meal as early as 6:30 AM, Monday through Friday, before you start your day. You can still eat a healthy breakfast with a home-cooked taste when you stop by Kate’s Kitchen and Ronnie’s Restaurant!