No matter what your sport or your fitness level, your morning meal is a must. Research shows that a nutritious breakfast enhances both physical and mental performance, helps to keep your weight in check and boosts your ability to fight off colds. Yet at least one fifth of the UK population regularly misses this meal.
To try and combat this we’ve teamed up with PhytoTrade Africa, the charity behind the Better Breakfast Week, a nationwide campaign which launched this Monday, to help you wake up to a healthier breakfast. Check out these fab top tips for a better breakkie.
- Mix it up! Including different food groups for breakfast not only helps to get a wide range of nutrients and vitamins in your diet, but it also stops you from getting bored. Aim to include at least three food groups from the following: carbohydrates, protein, fruit and vegetables, low fat dairy/dairy alternatives as well as nuts or seeds.
- Fuel up with carbs. No matter what your sport, carbohydrates are vital for optimal performance. Exercising muscles rely on carbohydrate as the main source of fuel. Make the smart choice by opting for wholegrain carbs which release sugar more slowly into the blood providing sustained energy levels. These include whole oats, wholegrain breads, barley, fruit and vegetables.
- Don’t forget protein. Protein is required for building and repairing muscle and plays an important role in how the body responds to exercise. Adding some protein to your breakfast also to helps you maintain better blood sugar levels. Eggs, nuts, seeds, low fat dairy, oily fish, lean meats and pulses are all good sources.
- Think fluid. It is important to start every exercise session well hydrated. Being hydrated means starting your day with a drink. Water is the best choice as it hydrates without providing any additional calories. However a glass of low fat milk, no added sugar fruit-juice or smoothies (150ml) are also good choices.
- Give your breakfast a boost. Fit in a portion of fruit to boost your intake of fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. Antioxidants strengthen your body’s ability of fighting infection and diseases. There are also many foods that can quickly help boost the nutritional content of breakfast in minutes such a baobab fruit powder. A tablespoon of nutritious baobab fruit powder into your porridge or smoothie gives you more than a quarter of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and a third of fibre intake.
Linia Patel for Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
References
1. Sungsoo Cho et al. 2003. The effect of breakfast type on total daily energy intake and body mass index: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANNES III). J Am Coll Nutr. Vol 22. No 4. 296 – 302
2. Thomas B, Bishop J. Manual of dietetic practice.4th ed. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.2007
3. Lisa R et al. 2008. Energy Intake at Breakfast and Weight Change: Prospective Study of 6764 Middle-aged men and women. Am J Epidemiol. 167 (2): 188 – 192
4. Leidy HJ et al. 2011.The effects of consuming frequent, higher protein meals on appetite and satiety during weight loss in overweight/obese men. Obesity. 19: 818 – 24
5. Nutritional Evaluation of Baobab Dried Fruit Pulp and its Potential Health Benefits. Summary Report. 2009. Leatherhead Food Research. Phyto Trade Africa
