6 Common Mistakes We Make At Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal of the day, yet many people include a lot of unhealthy and suitable ultra-processed products in it. In this sense, it is important to prepare a good breakfast to avoid health problems in the medium term.
It should also be borne in mind that in recent years intermittent fasting protocols have proliferated that aim to suppress this early intake. They have shown benefits, but today we are going to talk about the most common mistakes that are made at breakfast.
1. Do not eat anything for breakfast during adolescence
This mistake is usually quite common among young people. Because they have a fast pace of life, they tend to forget or skip eating food in the morning, either due to lack of time or not feeling hungry.
If this is your case, remember that This habit can generate many gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers, gastritis and heartburn . All of these are very painful and the ideal is to avoid them.
It should be noted that avoiding breakfast usually means reducing the number of calories ingested throughout the day, something that is not usually beneficial during the development stages, where a slightly hypercaloric plan is sought.
2. Not eating enough protein
To start the day it is important and essential that we get a good dose of protein at breakfast . A bowl of cereals to get all that the body will spend in the early hours of the day.
There are people who only eat cereals and leave out milk, which represents the necessary dose of protein. A good alternative is to make toast with a slice of whole wheat bread. You can eat it with avocado spread or with a couple of fried eggs and you will have a nutritious breakfast.
Remember that if you do not get the essential ration of these elements then you will be hungry in just a few hours. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that most dietary guidelines recommend eating at least 1 gram of protein for every kilo of body weight per day. This is evidenced by a study published in the Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism.
3. Eat very little fiber
The feeling of hunger appears when you incorporate a lot of sugars in your breakfast, since these are digested very quickly.
This effect is counteracted when you include enough fiber in the diet, as the feeling of fullness lasts much longer. This food has been shown to be able to curb the sensation of appetite.
It is essential to add or incorporate at least 5 grams of fiber and ensure that sugar consumption is minimal. The ideal is to avoid all kinds of refined sugars. Those cereals and the like that have added sugar are the worst option. The best option is a vegetable salad with some grains or seeds and a fruit.
4. Eat very little
This practice is also one of the most common mistakes. Most people take for granted that breakfast is eating a piece of fruit on the way to work or school. This idea is totally wrong and must be abandoned as soon as possible.
It is best to take a few minutes to sit down to eat a balanced meal, with an appropriate dose of carbohydrates, fiber, protein and fat. Consuming at least 300 or 400 calories is enough to feel satisfied until we get to lunch.
A full breakfast should include:
- Vegetables and fruits.
- Protein high quality.
- Complex carbohydrates.
- Healthy fats like nuts, seeds, or olive oil.
Before hitting the gym, it’s a good idea to have a light breakfast that contains complex carbohydrates, fiber, and essential amino acids. In this way, you fill up the glycogen stores, preparing the muscle for resistance exercise.
5. Do not consume fat
There is a false belief that breakfast should be a very small, healthy meal. It is even believed that it should be fat free. This idea is totally false, since a meal without fat can make us feel very hungry after an hour.
For this reason, it is suggested that in the early hours of the day the yoghurt without fat for one that has 2% of them. If you don’t want to do this, add some nuts to your plain yogurt to avoid short-term hunger pangs.
Keep in mind that many fatty acids are essential and play decisive roles in the body. For example, those of the omega 3 series have the ability to modulate inflammatory states, according to a study published in International Immunology.
6. Eat breakfast very late
It is highly recommended to eat within one hour of waking up. The longer it takes you to eat breakfast, the hungrier you will be and the harder it will be to feel satisfied once you eat.
For some people it is perhaps impossible to eat so early. In any case, it is advisable to eat as soon as you can. Lack of time should not be an excuse to stop eating a full and healthy breakfast.
Planning your menu in advance and learning how to make the right food choices will help you make the most of your time. Do not forget that eating a full breakfast helps you have energy for the whole day.
Avoid mistakes at breakfast
As you have seen, there are several mistakes people make when planning breakfast. Although proposing an intermittent fasting protocol can be beneficial in many cases, it is optimal to consume a first quality meal if this is the chosen choice. In this sense, avoid ultra-processed ones and always prioritize fresh ones.