Eating Breakfast Every Day Boosts Energy
by Pat Melgares

Health studies continue to reinforce the importance of eating breakfast every day, said Sandy Procter, a registered dietitian with Kansas State University.

People who eat breakfast are not only more productive and have more energy, but they also tend to eat less during the rest of the day, she said.

"People sometimes think if they don't eat breakfast, they can cut calories, [but] that's a total fallacy," Procter said. "If we eat breakfast, studies have shown that we eat less throughout the day. Your appetite is not so out of control by the time you finally do eat."

Breakfast also is a good time to drink water and other liquids the body will need.

"Your body has been working all night, even while you're asleep, and a lot of our water needs go into processing calories and our basal metabolism," Procter said. "So, there's a need to replenish water first thing in the morning, too. People should include some type of beverage, and maybe two or three [beverages], for breakfast."

Some foods are still considered better than others for breakfast. For example, cereals are rich in carbohydrates that are a prime source of energy to fuel muscles and the brain. Cereals also are a good source of B vitamins, which aid the energy producing process; and iron, which carries oxygen from the lungs to muscles. But, adds Procter, "what is eaten for breakfast is not as important as making sure that some form of breakfast starts each day."

For more information on health and nutrition, interested persons may contact their local K-State Research and Extension office.

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Source: Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research and Extension

For more information: Sandy Procter is at 785-532-1675