CEREA-OUSLY GOOD!
We like a bit of science here at MBB! So we’ve put together our top 3 reasons you should be eating a healthy, wholegrain breakfast and backed it up with the facts. Have a little read and see what you think, are these things you are dealing with at the moment? Maybe you are feeling a little stressed and need a mood boost or want to curb the snacking a little… small changes all add up and the first meal of the day is always a good place to start…
3 REASONS BREAKFAST CEREAL IS SERIOUSLY GOOD FOR YOU…
1. To help you stay fuller and keep snacking at bay!
Most breakfast cereals are made up of a base of wholegrains such as oats and in our previous posts, we’ve talked about how the fibre in these ingredients help your digestive system stay healthy (amongst other things!). But it has also been shown that by eating breakfast cereals (cooked or ready to eat), you are likely to have a lower BMI than those skipping breakfast or eating other types of breakfast (Cho et al. 2013). It is thought that by skipping breakfast altogether, we are likely to snack more later in the day and as a result consume more calories than if we were to have a balanced breakfast at the start of the day.
2. Start the day in a good mood!
No one wants to start the day ‘hangry’ … it’s bad enough dealing with a full inbox of emails or the home-schooling schedule for the day! So, fuelling yourself with some good mood food will help you stay positive and productive! Many studies have found that eating a carbohydrate-based breakfast will help improve your mood and as importantly, prevent a mood decline! (Lloyd et al. 1996). It has also been shown that a breakfast of wholegrains can help prevent fatigue during the morning and keep energy levels constant. Let’s start the day the best way… with a delicious bowl of cereal goodness!
3. To help reduce stress -
A number of studies have found links between eating breakfast and reduced cortisol levels which suggests having a bit of brekkie might be what you need to help keep stress levels a little lower! Smith (2001) did a study which examined an indicator of stress (salivary Cortisol) and found that those who consumed breakfast cereal had lower levels of cortisol. Another separate study of women aged 18-45 years old looked at those who skipped breakfast and those who didn’t and found that those who were skipping breakfast had increased concentrations of cortisol and that ‘chronic breakfast skippers’ also displayed elevated blood pressure (Witbrancht et al. 2015). So, in a world where we’re all feeling a little stressed right now, breakfast could be the little bit of love your body needs!
References:
1. Cho, S. Dietrich, M. Brown, C, Clark, C. and Block, G (2013) The Effect of Breakfast Type on Total Daily Energy Intake and Body Mass Index: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Volume 22, Issue 4, Pages 296 – 302
2. H M Lloyd , P J Rogers, D I Hedderley, A F Walker (1996) Acute Effects on Mood and Cognitive Performance of Breakfasts Differing in Fat and Carbohydrate Content, Appetite, 1996 Oct;27(2):151-64
3. Smith, A.P (2001) Stress, breakfast cereal consumption and Cortisol, Nutritional Neuroscience, Volume 5, 2002, Pages 141-144
4. Whitbracht, M, Keim, N.L. Forester, S. Widaman, A. and Laugero, K. (2015) Female breakfast skippers display a disrupted cortisol rhythm and elevated blood pressure, Physiology & Behavior, Volume 140, 1 March 2015, Pages 215-221