Recently, a research institution in Beijing conducted a small-scale survey among white-collar workers in the capital and found that less than 2% of their daily energy and nutrient intake comes from breakfast, about 30% from lunch, and nearly 70% from dinner and late-night snacks. An Jianhua, a renowned nutrition expert at the Nutrition Research Center of Beijing Normal University, specifically reminded beauty-conscious women that long-term skipping of breakfast or irregular meal times can easily induce gastrointestinal diseases and calculi, and can also lead to obesity.
Skipping breakfast leads to lack of energy
Breakfast should be eaten well, lunch should be eaten until full, and dinner should be eaten in small amounts. The saying abroad is: "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a gentleman, and dinner like a pauper." Nutritionists recommend that breakfast should account for about 30% of the total daily energy, lunch about 40%, and dinner about 30%. In terms of the proportion of energy sources for breakfast, carbohydrates should provide 55%-65% of the total energy, fats should account for 20%-30%, and protein for 11%-15%.
An Jianhua said that in the morning, the gastrointestinal tract has almost no food, and the nutrients necessary to maintain the body's normal metabolism are extremely scarce. If energy is not replenished in a timely and comprehensive manner, one will find it difficult to concentrate and have slow thinking in the morning, leading to low work efficiency. When lunchtime arrives with a growling stomach, people tend to consume more energy. If they eat too much, they will feel drowsy at noon, which also affects weight loss.
A variety of breakfast items is best
"A nutritious breakfast should include carbohydrates like bread and congee, animal foods like meat, eggs, and milk, as well as soy milk, fresh vegetables, and fruit," An Jianhua said. Because modern diets are too refined, one can choose whole-wheat bread with visible barley grains to intake more dietary fiber. Eating bread or biscuits and then drinking milk or soy milk is beneficial for calcium absorption. "An apple in the morning is gold, at noon is silver, and in the evening is copper." She believes that eating fruit in the morning is the best way to supplement vitamins.
Vegetables don't need to be a lot, but they shouldn't be omitted. If you don't have time to prepare vegetables in the morning, you can prepare them the night before, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the refrigerator to eat the next day. For example, blanch celery in water and add a little salt when eating. She reminded that pickled mustard can only be used for seasoning and has little nutritional value. It is too high in salt and should not be eaten frequently. Healthy people can eat two boiled eggs a day without causing abnormal cholesterol.
Vegetables don't need to be a lot, but they shouldn't be omitted. If you don't have time to prepare vegetables in the morning, you can prepare them the night before, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the refrigerator to eat the next day. For example, blanch celery in water and add a little salt when eating. She reminded that pickled mustard can only be used for seasoning and has little nutritional value. It is too high in salt and should not be eaten frequently. Healthy people can eat two boiled eggs a day without causing abnormal cholesterol.
The breakfast of women aged 25-40 should meet at least half of their daily vitamin and folate needs, especially vitamin C and iron. Nowadays, most women do not get enough iron and folate from their food. "Meat, liver, kelp, wood ear mushrooms, spinach, and rapeseed can meet the 20mg daily iron requirement for adults under 50. Vitamin B can be obtained from lean meat, fish, liver, whole-wheat bread, potatoes, peanuts, and other foods."