What you eat (or don’t eat) can have serious consequences. Yes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After sleeping all night in “shutdown” mode, your body needs fuel to start up again. Skipping breakfast signals the body to store fat and burn muscle for energy. Over time, that can lead to excess body fat and related illnesses. In fact, research suggests that eating breakfast reduces your risk to obesity and metabolic syndrome by 35% to 50%. (Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that may include high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol or triglycerides, and/or high blood sugar/insulin.)
But common breakfast foods also threaten your health. Donuts, muffins (English, blueberry, etc.), bagels, sugary cereals, and fruit pastries have a higher glycemic index (GI) that causes a surge in blood sugar. It’s that sugar rush you feel followed by a crash. High GI foods are typically higher in sugar and lower in fiber and nutrients due to heavily processed ingredients like white flour. Research shows that breakfasts of high-GI foods increase your risk to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
More help for metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Eating regular meals with lower-GI foods (whole grains/fruits/vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats) is a great start. You may also benefit from a comprehensive medical food program that nutritionally supports the management of metabolic syndrome and heart disease risk factors—elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Get the better of what’s eating you. A healthy start is to call us today and schedule an appointment.