Bulk Up Your Breakfast

Spring is finally here and Summer is just around the corner!

Are your Summer clothes motivating you to think about what you eat?

Most of us tend to gain a bit of weight over the winter months.  Between the weather preventing outside activities, bulky clothing, and colder temperatures, it is easy to slip into less than healthy habits.

Now that warmer temperatures are here, take a step towards good health by bulking up your breakfast.  Many people try to cut calories by skipping breakfast, but this often leads to weight gain or plateauing.  The trick is to accelerate your metabolism to burn more calories.

One of the healthiest ways to increase your metabolism and decrease your risk of heart disease is to eat more whole grains, especially at breakfast.  Choosing a combination of whole grains and low fat protein in the morning will keep you satisfied for hours, and give your body something to really “chew” on to digest.  The harder your body works to digest your food, the more it stimulates the metabolism.

Whole grains are a great source of fiber which not only takes longer to digest, but also helps rid the body of cholesterol.  The less processed the product is, the harder your body has to work to digest it (which is a good thing).  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found people who included whole grains in their diet lost more weight than those who ate refined grains and they also reduced their risk of heart disease by 38%.

It is easy to add more whole grains to your breakfast. Choose whole grain bread or bagels for example.  Recently our family has been enjoying Great Grains Cereal with skim milk or yogurt*.  My daughter commented, “It’s tasty and it keeps me filled up until lunch.”

Finding ways to bulk up your breakfast can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of heart disease – and it can be tasty too!

*In full disclosure, I received a free sample of the Great Grains Cereal.