Anyone else sick of hearing about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day!? If you’re like most then the answer is probably yes. But why have we developed such a negative association with this harmless and simple saying? Simply put, a lot of us either skip breakfast or are purchasing ours from the drive thru or vending machine at work; clearly not the best options by any means especially for those trying to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles. Hearing this short sentence reminds us of the less than stellar choices we may be making on a daily basis, and adversely, we form resentment accordingly on a sub-conscious level. The fact is breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day, but the ongoing issue remains that the majority just do not understand why. So today I’m going to share with you 5 Reasons Why You Should Never Skip Breakfast.

1) Lower Risk of Diabetes

According to a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, skipping breakfast may increase the risk and occurrence of diabetes. Subjects who ate breakfast everyday where shown to be at a much lower risk of those who did not.

2) Helps Prevent Heart Disease

According to a July 2013 study in the medical journal Circulation, eating breakfast was associated with a lower incidence of heart disease in men between age 45-82. The study also concluded that skipping breakfast was also linked to hypertension, (high blood pressure) insulin resistance (which leads to obesity and diabetes) and elevated blood sugar levels.

3) Improved Memory

Ever feel like you are not as sharp as you once were and for reasons unknown you just can’t remember important stuff the way you once did? Usually we attribute and write this off as an inevitable part of the obligatory aging process. Unfortunately, this is not entirely accurate. The nutrition we consume on a consistent basis can and will effect our memory whether for the good or bad, significantly! A 2005 Journal of American Dietetic Association review of 47 breakfast-related studies found that by eating breakfast, cognitive functions related to enhanced memory and higher test grades were elevated drastically. In laymans terms: Eating breakfast makes you wicked sm-aa-ht. (Thick Boston Accent)

4) Helps you Lose Weight

In a recent study, participants who ate breakfast lost an average 17.8 pounds more over a 3 month period than those who did not. The other participants consumed the same number of total calories per day, but ate most of their calories later in the day as a direct result of intense hunger stemming from skipping meals. (July 2013, Journal of Obesity) The parties who skipped breakfast lost an average of only 7.3 pounds each over the 3 month period. You can’t argue with science my friends!

5) Breakfast CAN Taste Awesome!

So I get it, most of us have to wake up long before our bodies would like and hitting the snooze button 2-3 times is often more appealing than waking up and cooking egg whites and oats. Which is why proper planning is crucial to pre maturely setting yourself up for success! Just like you should be meal prepping in advance, or having a company like Nutrition Solutions save you the time and hassle by having your pre made meals readily available for you, breakfast should be pre determined and whenever possible pre made so you don’t have to worry about potentially burning your kitchen down as you attempt to cook first thing in the AM in a zombie like state. Egg whites and oats are hard enough to stomach fresh off the grill, let alone cooked for a couple days in advance. So get creative! You can make some badass protein pancakes that are clean and healthy, using protein powder, egg whites, and oats. The great part about this is when prepared correctly you don’t even taste the eggs or the oats, and you can cook enough to last for a week or 2 without compromising the taste or quality ! Total lifesaver for me as I can’t stand egg whites in their normal form but of course I love what they bring to the table from a wellness and nutritional stand point.

****Little Known Fact: I actually created the concept of our Nutrition Solutions protein bars (Which are a base of liquid egg whites, oats, whey, and soy milk) when I was dieting for a photo shoot and could no longer stomach the taste, look, or scent of eggs and oats. I had no idea at the time that something I conceptually developed to serve my immediate needs, would ultimately turn out being one of our companies most popular menu items! These are just 5 reasons but of course the list goes on! The evidence supporting that breakfast is in fact a not-to-be-skipped meal is overwhelming. Remember this: Breakfast+ Consistency = A skinnier, better focused, healthy, fit, less forgetful, and more vibrant YOU!