| Breakfasts |
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Why should we eat breakfast?
It's true that people who eat breakfast regularly stay slimmer, are more mentally alert and may even live longer than those who don't eat breakfast.
Skipping breakfast, for many people, might seem like the easiest way to trim their waistlines. However running out the door without breakfast can actually make losing weight more difficult!
Scientists continue to explore this peculiarity. It may be because the brain needs glucose to function and if we don't eat after a night's fast, the liver starts to produce glucose for the brain from its limited stores. |
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Hormones are then produced to alert the body of its hunger and its need for carbohydrate which can be broken down into glucose. If we skip breakfast, by the time we get around to eating, the liver has taken care of our glucose needs and the carbohydrate we eat is converted into triglycerides, the precursor to fat cells.
To help prevent these unwanted fat cells from forming the best thing we can do is eat breakfast.
In the long run, the calories we eat during the day are better distributed, instead of being eating all at once. Develop good family habits by sitting down to breakfast each day. |
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| Breakfast Nutrition Comparisons |
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| | Calories | Fat (g) | Saturates (g) | Sugars (g) | Salt (g) | | Breakfast Roll* | 1298 | 82.5 | 30.5 | 10.3 | 8.7 | | Cereal, toast, juice** | 929 | 31.3 | 17.5 | 106.5 | 1.2 | | Sardines on toast (recipe) | 467 | 23 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 2.9 | | Apple porridge (recipe) | 491 | 11.3 | 0.6 | 29.2 | 0.2 |
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*White baguette, butter, 2 fried rashers, 2 fried sausages, 1 piece each of white & black pudding, 1 fried egg, ketchup
**50g of crunchy oat cereal with coconut, sultanas & almonds with 125ml low-fat milk, 2 slices of white bread, toasted, with butter & jam, 150ml glass of orange juice
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| Sardines on Toast - a Bone Building Breakfast |
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| Serves 1 |
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 | 120g tin sardines in extra virgin olive oil |
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| 2 tsp tomato ketchup |
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| 2 tsp low-fat mayonnaise |
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| Few drops Worcester sauce to taste |
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| Freshly ground black pepper |
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| 2 slices coarse wholemeal toast |
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| 1 tomato, quartered |
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Preheat the grill to medium-high. Thoroughly mash the sardines, ketchup, mayo, Worcester sauce and pepper with a fork until the bones are all smashed and you have a thick creamy consistency.
Divide the mixture between 2 slices of toast. Put them on a sheet of foil under the grill until the fish starts to brown – about 3 minutes. Remove and serve at once with the tomato.
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| Apple Porridge |
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| Serves 4 |
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| 325g rolled oats |
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| 300ml apple juice |
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| 2 Granny Smith apples |
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| 200g Greek yoghurt |
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| 55g sultanas or other dried fruit |
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| 25g flaked almonds, toasted |
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| 2 tbsp runny honey |
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You can have this either hot or cold. To enjoy it cold, soak the oats in the apple juice overnight. Just prior to eating, fold in the grated apple, yoghurt, sultanas and almonds. Drizzle over the honey and serve.
To have the porridge hot, soak the oats in the apple juice overnight. In the morning, add the oats and apple juice to a saucepan, and add 300ml water (you can use more according to your desired consistency). Heat the porridge over a low heat until thickened and heated through. Serve with the grated apple, yoghurt, sultanas and almonds sprinkled over and drizzle with the honey.
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| Click here for a delicious Fruit Compote recipe. |
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