Actually, there are many misconceptions about eating breakfast. Eating breakfast is something everyone does every day. But even though we eat breakfast daily, are we doing it correctly? Many people still have misconceptions about breakfast, let's take a look together.
Five Major Misconceptions About Breakfast
Eating breakfast while walking
Many people don't want to wake up early and stay in bed, getting up just in time. This leaves them with no extra time for a proper breakfast, so they develop the habit of eating while walking. With hands, feet, and mouth all moving, it's not good for digestion and absorption.
Using snacks as breakfast
Many people choose snacks for breakfast for convenience. Snacks are mostly dry foods, with a lot of grains but little high-quality protein. Over time, this can lead to malnutrition. For the body in a semi-dehydrated state in the morning, it's not easy to digest and absorb. Moreover, snacks like biscuits are mainly made of grains. Although they can provide energy in the short term, they will soon make you feel hungry again, causing blood sugar levels to drop significantly before noon, which is harmful to health.
Eating breakfast too early
Many people get up at 5 or 6 in the morning and eat breakfast immediately, thinking this will replenish the body's nutrients in time and be good for absorption. But in fact, eating breakfast too early can harm the stomach and intestines.
Breakfast is too nutritious
Breakfast involves a large intake of high-protein, high-calorie, and high-fat foods, such as cheese, hamburgers, fried chicken wings, and other fried foods. An overly nutritious breakfast only adds to the burden on the stomach and intestines, which is harmful to the body.
Using leftover food for breakfast
Many mothers cook extra for dinner to make fried rice for their children and family the next morning, or simply reheat the leftovers. Vegetables in leftover food overnight may produce nitrites, which are harmful to human health.
A Correct Way to Eat Breakfast
Eat light food
A greasy meal can burden the digestive system and lead to high blood lipids. If you really can't resist the temptation, doing it once a week is acceptable. Breakfast is more suitable for a light but nutritionally balanced diet, with as little fried food as possible. Some people like to eat youtiao (fried dough sticks) for breakfast. It's not that you can't, but don't eat too much at once and try to limit it to once a week.
Avoid eating while walking
Many people prefer to eat breakfast on their way to work, whether it's street food or eating while walking. Experts say that breakfast should not only be nutritious but also healthy. Waking up and immediately hitting the road to eat breakfast is a habit that greatly affects your health. It's best to drink a glass of water an hour before breakfast to help secrete digestive juices. It's impossible to chew slowly while walking on the road. When you walk, blood cannot fully reach the stomach to help with peristalsis and digestion, leading to indigestion. Experts believe that for the sake of health, it's worth getting up a little earlier to have a proper breakfast.
Eat breakfast on time
Many people have irregular wake-up times and naturally don't pay attention to their morning meal time. Research shows that the best time for breakfast is between 7 and 9 AM. By this time, the stomach has almost digested the food from the previous night. If you don't eat during this period, it will directly affect your stomach health. Over time, this can pose potential threats to your overall health.
Remember to drink water before breakfast
After a night's sleep, the body consumes a lot of water and nutrients and wakes up in a state of physiological dehydration. If you only eat a regular breakfast, it's far from enough to replenish this dehydration. Therefore, after waking up, don't rush to eat breakfast. Instead, drink 500-800 ml of cool water immediately. This can replenish the lost water and cleanse the intestines. But don't drink too much water right before your meal.
Neither too early nor too late for breakfast
Medical experts point out that because dinner is eaten late, most of the body's organs get sufficient rest during sleep, but the digestive system is still working to digest the food left in the gastrointestinal tract from dinner, only gradually entering a rest state around dawn. Eating breakfast too early will inevitably interfere with this rest, keeping the digestive system in a state of fatigue and disrupting the rhythm of intestinal peristalsis. Therefore, the best time to eat breakfast is 20 to 30 minutes after waking up around 7 AM. Also, it's best to have a 4 to 5 hour interval between breakfast and lunch, which also suggests that breakfast is best eaten between 7 and 8 AM.
How to Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Milk
Milk has anti-cancer properties because it contains various anti-cancer factors such as rich calcium, vitamins, lactoferrin, and conjugated linoleic acid. At the same time, the calcium in milk can strengthen our bones and teeth and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Milk has a high content of pure protein, and drinking it often can be beautifying. Milk is rich in vitamin A, which can prevent dry and dull skin, making the skin fair and radiant. In addition, the large amount of B2 in milk can promote skin metabolism. The whey in milk can eliminate melanin and can prevent and treat various stains caused by pigmentation.
Plain boiled water
You should drink water before breakfast. After a night's sleep, the body loses a lot of water and nutrients through urine, skin, and breathing. Upon waking, the body is in a state of physiological dehydration. If you only eat a regular breakfast, it's far from enough to replenish this dehydration. Therefore, after waking up, don't rush to eat breakfast. Instead, drink 500 to 800 ml of warm water immediately. This can replenish the lost water and cleanse the intestines. But don't drink too much water right before your meal.
Soy milk
The protein and elements like selenium and molybdenum in soy milk have strong anti-cancer and therapeutic abilities, especially for stomach, intestinal, and breast cancer. According to surveys, the probability of cancer in people who don't drink soy milk is 50% higher than in those who do. So, how can you drink soy milk to be both nutritious and help with weight loss? Drink it with the soy pulp! Scientists have found that soy pulp is rich in protein and fiber and contains a large amount of calcium, about 100 mg per 100 grams of soy pulp. The fat content in soy pulp is very low, and regular consumption can prevent obesity. In addition, soy pulp also contains a large amount of the anti-cancer substance isoflavone, and eating it regularly can reduce the incidence of some cancers.
Whole wheat bread
Many people are used to choosing bread for breakfast. In fact, the healthiest choice is whole wheat bread. Other breads mostly contain yeast, which can easily cause excessive stomach acid, which is harmful to people with sensitive stomachs. Whole wheat bread, on the other hand, contains large amounts of vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Whole grains are beneficial for gastrointestinal health, and eating more won't make you fat; instead, it can promote the elimination of toxins from the body, which is more beneficial to your health.
Eggs
Eggs were rated by a certain American magazine as the most nutritious breakfast in the world. According to the magazine, eggs not only contain many well-known nutrients but also two amino acids, tryptophan and tyrosine, which can help the body's antioxidant processes. The antioxidant content in one egg yolk is equivalent to that of one apple. Moreover, eggs contain a relatively large amount of vitamin B2, which can decompose and oxidize carcinogens in the human body. Trace elements in eggs, such as selenium and zinc, also have anti-cancer effects. According to an analysis of cancer mortality rates worldwide, it was found that the cancer mortality rate is inversely proportional to the intake of selenium.