Healthy Eating - the importance of breakfast

Health and Nutrition

A healthy lifestyle is essential for a working model. Working full time in an industry that often requires long days and lots of travelling to and form castings and jobs can take its toll on the body.

To ensure your body is healthy and fit enough to deal with this demanding lifestyle consider theses:

Eat a healthy balanced diet. A balanced diet consists of;

• Plenty of water. At least 2 litres a day.

This can be pure water, with herbal tea or a small amount of fruit juice added. Coffee and regular tea does not count towards your water intake as they contain caffeine, which is dehydrating

• Plenty of fruit and vegetables

Minimum of 5 portions daily

• Plenty bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods

Try to opt for whole wheat and brown foods where possible

• Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy protein sources
• A little dairy and milk
• Minimal amounts of sugary foods and drinks.

These are fine in moderation, but contain little nutritional value and offer empty calories.

Where possible try to opt for options that are lower in salt, sugar and fat. Food should be enjoyable, but it should also offer nutrition to help your body function effectively.

Why is breakfast so essential in a healthy diet?

It is essential that a healthy breakfast be eaten. Breakfast literally means to break the fast. Whilst you are sleeping your body is still working, it is growing, repairing itself, rejuvenating itself. Eating a healthy breakfast kick starts the metabolism and helps give you energy for the day ahead as well as giving you essential vitamins and nutrients. A healthy breakfast should consist of starchy foods such as bread or healthy breakfast cereals. You should also try to include some form of fruit into your morning meal. It can be fresh, frozen, dried or even as a smoothie, all of these will count towards your five-a-day.

If you opt for a cereal based breakfast opt for wholegrain types that are low in sugar and salt and serve with skimmed milk, semi-skimmed milk or low fat natural yoghurt. You can also add fruit to your cereal. Toast is a great breakfast option, opt for granary or wholemeal bread and use a low-fat spread minimally. You can top your toast with mashed banana, a small amount of low sugar jam or peanut butter. Follow with a glass of fresh fruit juice. Look for 100% fruit juices that are ‘not from concentrate” as these will contain the most nutrition and will count towards you five-a-day.

You do not have to avoid a cooked breakfast when staying healthy. A few small changes to how you cook the breakfast and the foods you use can mean a cooked breakfast is still healthy and nutritional as well as yummy. Instead of the traditional “fry-up” go for a grilled breakfast. Grilling foods allow fats to escape and still keep the taste. Instead of a fried egg opt for poached or scrambled eggs. Add fresh tomatoes or whole tinned tomatoes, low fat sausages with a high percentage of meat content – preferable 85% pork or above, or vegetarian sausages, grilled bacon with the fat trimmed off and mushrooms that are cooked in a low-calorie spray oil or vegetable oil. Instead of fried bread go for wholemeal toast.

For much more information on healthy eating please go to the Food Standards Agency website, www.eatwell.gov.uk