Everyone knows that eating breakfast is very important because it is the beginning of providing the energy needed for the body's activities throughout the day. However, busy urban life may lead people to eat breakfast casually, which is actually not right. The harm of skipping breakfast to one's health has been recognized by more and more people. Therefore, breakfast must be eaten, but improper breakfast habits can also damage health. Experts say that several popular breakfast habits are not scientific or healthy.
1. The earlier the breakfast, the better
Many people who are used to getting up early eat breakfast immediately after waking up at 5 or 6 in the morning, believing that this can replenish the body's needs in time and aid absorption. In fact, eating breakfast too early is not only not beneficial to health but may also harm the stomach and intestines.
Suggestion: After getting up, it is advisable to drink water first to replenish the fluids consumed during sleep. It is more appropriate to eat breakfast after 20 to 30 minutes of activity.
2. Using snacks as breakfast
While it's fine to eat snacks like biscuits and chocolate when you're hungry, using them as the most important meal of the day, breakfast, is very unscientific. Most snacks are dry foods, which are not conducive to digestion and absorption for the body, which is in a semi-dehydrated state in the morning. Moreover, although snacks made mainly from grains can provide energy in the short term, they can quickly make people feel hungry again, and blood sugar levels will drop significantly around noon. Eating snacks for breakfast can easily lead to malnutrition, a decline in physical fitness, and make one susceptible to various diseases.
Suggestion: Snacks should not be used as a substitute for breakfast, especially too many dry foods. Breakfast should contain sufficient moisture. If the breakfast for the day is too dry, you can add a cucumber.
3. "Fried dough sticks with soy milk" as breakfast
Compared to the more Western-style "milk and eggs," the traditional Chinese "fried dough sticks with soy milk" is more popular. However, this breakfast combination is also not good for your health. During the high-temperature frying process, nutrients in the fried dough sticks are destroyed and carcinogenic substances are produced, which is detrimental to human health. In addition, fried dough sticks, like other fried foods, have problems with high oil and high calories, which are not easy to digest in the morning. Furthermore, soy milk is also a medium-fat food, so this breakfast combination has a significantly excessive amount of oil and is not suitable for long-term consumption.
Suggestion: It is best to eat soy milk with fried dough sticks less often, no more than twice a week. On the days you eat this, lunch and dinner should be as light as possible, avoid fried, stir-fried, or sautéed foods, and pay attention to eating more vegetables.
4. Using leftover food as breakfast
Many "moms" in families will cook extra for dinner and make fried rice for their children and family the next morning, or just reheat the leftovers. This breakfast is convenient to make and rich in content, basically the same as a regular meal, and is usually considered nutritionally complete. However, vegetables left overnight may produce nitrites, which are harmful to human health.
Suggestion: Try not to eat leftover vegetables. If you use other leftover food for breakfast, be sure to store it properly to avoid spoilage. Food taken from the refrigerator must be heated thoroughly.