Healthy Eating - Breaking the Fast - The Most Important Meal of the Day

Fasting is a term used to describe a period without consuming food. There are many times in our life where we need to fast for one reason or another. Before surgery or prior to specific blood tests we often need to stop eating for a length of time. Article Source

The most common "fast" we do happens on a daily basis. It occurs when we sleep. During this time, we usually go without food for between 5 to 10 hours.

Breakfast is recognized as the most important meal of the day because it is the time where we "Break the Fast".

It is interesting to note that the name Breakfast is made up of two words "Breaking" and "Fast". Breakfast simply means we are breaking the fast.

Skipping Breakfast is common these days with many people leading busy lifestyles. However, it's not a healthy option. Starting the day on the power of a cup of coffee alone can do more harm to our body than good.

Breakfast kick starts our body's metabolism into gear for the rest of the day. It starts the process needed to ensure the food we eat is digested properly throughout the day.

Breakfast does not need to be large. In some countries, breakfast often consists of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash brown, pancakes and coffee. This in reality is excessive and time consuming. A breakfast like this is likely to do more damage to our health.

A healthy breakfast could consist of nothing more than an apple or if time is more flexible, a bowl of fresh fruit salad.

The first morning meal is the ideal time to take any daily supplements. Powdered supplements can be mixed with freshly made juice or sprinkled over a bowl of cereal.

Cereal should be whole grain and unprocessed. Porridge, muesli or whole wheat flakes are a good option. Processed cereal contains excessive amounts of sugar, which is often more than our recommended daily healthy intake.

There are several varieties of milk available today. Grain milks are becoming increasingly popular. Oat Milk is an excellent choice for Breakfast as is Rice Milk. Soymilk is also very common. Excess consumption of Soy has been noted as causing some health issues mainly relating to hormonal activity. Small amounts should not be a problem. Consult your Doctor for more information or if you are concerned.

Some important points to remember when considering your options for breakfast.

Don't eat excessive fatty foods or processed cereal high in sugars.
Whole grain Cereal is ideal and the healthiest milk option is one of several grain milks available.
Whole grain toast is good. An old wives tale suggests warm or hot toast is easier to digest but I have read no medical evidence to support this. Remember, Breakfast literally means "Breaking the Fast". That is why it is considered the most important meal of the day.


Eric J. Smith is a qualified Horticulturalist and Permaculturalist. Eric writes about his interest in many areas of Environmental concern and brings into focus Changing Economic paradigms. Eric has a passion for Organic Gardening and Permaculture with an emphasis on the sustainable use of environmental systems.

Eric is the Administrator for Permaculture Connect and operates a Permaculture Design and Consultancy Service at Permaculture Lifestyle



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Save Money by Planning Your Meals for the Week

By planning out your meals for the week, you can significantly lower your monthly grocery bills. By having a plan, you'll eliminate those last minute trips to the grocery store and start eating healthier by cooking more homemade meals. Meal planning will also help you eat out less. Here are some of simple meal planning tips you can start today!

Start by writing down your favorite family recipes. Pick out the ones that you like to cook regularly and eliminate the ones that are less liked or only cooked on special occasions. Also keep in mind which recipes are more frugal and cost less overall to make. This list is your "Master Recipe List" that you can choose from each week. Ideally, this should only have about 10-15 of your most liked and frugal family recipes.

To plan out your meals for the week, select 3-4 recipes. Make sure to check out your local grocery ads to see which ingredients may be on sale.

Now that you have picked out your meals for the week, decide which days you will cook. You may choose to cook all meals on the weekend and freeze, or spread out cooking on multiple days during the week. Don't feel like you have to cook everyday. Plan days into your weekly schedule to eat up leftovers.

To keep track of your meals and cooking days, it may be helpful to print out a copy of your monthly calendar and record these on the appropriate day. You can even save each month's calendar for planning out future weeks and rotating which recipes you decide to cook.

Congratulations on your new meal plan! Keep in mind that this is a work in progress. Continue to review your Master Recipe List to add new recipes or eliminate ones that are no longer your favorite.

Here is a summary of the benefits of planning out your meals for the week in advance:

Eliminates last minute trips to the store because you don't know what to cook for dinner.

Because you are cooking at home more often, you will eat out less and save money.

Your meals will be more healthy because you have planned in advance. No more unhealthy convenience foods or microwave meals.

You will be less stressed because you have a plan.

As you get better at meal planning, try scheduling more than one week of meals. It may help you take advantage of grocery sales when you know what you'll be cooking in the next few weeks. You could also purchase groceries for more than one week which could reduce your trips to the store.

For more tips on saving money on groceries and on healthy eating on a budget, visit http://smartmoneymom.hubpages.com/hub/Eating-Well-on-a-Tight-Grocery-Budget.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7124714

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