First Breakfast, Then Go Sporting

It is no myth or wives tale, breakfast is in fact the most important meal of the day and the way you should fuel for all your physical activity. So before you head out the door for your morning run (like I always used to do!) or bike around town, you should start each and every day with a healthy breakfast. Some people are split on when exactly active individuals should eat breakfast, but research shows that eating first and then sporting may be best for your body. If you want to have the fuel required to be an athlete in peak condition, you need to make breakfast a priority every morning before you partake in your sport of choice. It doesn’t matter if you are a pro or simply trying to have fun, a balanced breakfast can give you an edge and help kick your athletic performance up a notch.

Manage Hunger Through the Day

When you are active, you need to consume more calories each day to give your body the energy it needs. This means that you can’t afford to skip out on breakfast. There is even a bit of physiology connected to the importance of this morning meal. Research shows that eating breakfast will keep your body from bottoming out and getting too hungry. If you start the day off on the right foot with a great breakfast, you will likely feel better and be able to work out more effectively. Eating breakfast kind of gives your body a guarantee that it will get the daily nutrients it requires to perform at a high level.

What Should You Eat?

If you want to make the most out of your morning meal before you tackle your sport of choice, you need to watch what you eat. Not every food is ideal to consume right before physical activity. As long as you are eating healthy breakfast food options, you can be guaranteed to feel your best during your exercise. Some of the best breakfast foods for sport enthusiasts include eggs, whole grain toast, milk, nuts and seeds, apples and peanut butter or even a bowl of oatmeal. The amount of calories in your morning meal can range, but it is a good idea to get at least 500 calories in, if possible. Since it is such an important meal you need to make it count and eat the right foods. The right nutrients will give you the fuel your body desires most.

A Matter of Preference

When it comes down to it, eating breakfast before or after you go sporting is all a matter of preference. However, if you want to be your best and perform your sport at the highest level, you really should think about starting your day off right with a wholesome breakfast. A breakfast of champions can be the way to get your body in the best shape and help you fight hunger throughout the day. Breakfast really is the most important meal that you can’t afford to skip out on.

How To Eat Less Sugar

If you are wondering how to eat less sugar there are a few steps that you will need to take to be able to come off that white addiction. Sugar like anything else can be addictive. People will go to extremes to get their sugar fix.

Sugar is not a necessary nutrient. In other words your body does not need sugar it is simply empty calories. Some sugar is fine but most people get all the sugar that they need from a healthy diet WITHOUT adding in the sugary treats.

Most all natural food contains some sort of sugar but in reality it is not those sugars that are the problem it is the sugar that we add to our drinks and our foods that cause the issues and is very addictive (bbc). A diet that has an excessive amount of sugar is a bad diet that will pack on the pounds. If you want to know how to eat less sugar continue reading.

Recognize What Sugar Is

Manufacturers can be a little tricky with their labels. If you want to start cutting out sugar from your diet than you need to be able to recognize the words that are used to hide some sugar in your food. Words that also mean there is sugar in your food include:

·      Sucrose, Glucose, High Fructose, Lactose, Turbinado, Sorghum Syrup, Corn Syrup, Caramel, Carob Syrup, Dextrin, Maltodextrin, Barley Malt, Beet Sugar, Cane Juice, Golden Syrup, Dehydrated Cane Juice Syrup, Ethyl Maltyl, Glucose Solids

All of these ingredients are sugar. They are commonly found in a host of pre packaged goods. Understanding what you are eating is half the battle. Once you get the terms under control it is a lot easier to avoid hidden sugars.

Read The Label

Now you have the terms that are used by manufacturers to hide sugar in your food now you have to practice reading the label of everything you eat. Some things are no brainers. Like cut back on candy, chocolate, watch the amount of sugar you use in your coffee or tea but somethings are really quite surprising when you are thinking about how to eat less sugar.

Sometimes things that are supposed to be healthy for you actually contain a tad too much hidden sugar. Reading the label of everything that you put in your mouth can help you to keep your sugar consumption in check.  The average American consumes up to 64 pounds of sugar each year. There is no nutritional benefit to consuming sugar and it can lead to Type II diabetes. Reading the label of everything you eat can help you get out of the sugar loop. Check out these sites (here and here) for more in-depth info.

Healthy Sugars

There are healthier ways to get your sugar fix. Fruits! Fruits have fructose (which is an additive in a lot of pre packaged foods) but it is easily digested by the body and of course it is in the perfect amount because it is all natural! When that sugar craving hits if you want to know how to eat less sugar the answer is to grab something that is good for you like fruit and combine it with yogurt as a great evening snack!

Need an Easy Breakfast? Yogurt is the Answer

Breakfast is the most important meal you eat all day, it gets you up and at em and it really sets the pace for the rest of the day. A lot of us forgo breakfast because life gets in the way and it can be hard to make time to eat breakfast. Stopping and grabbing fast food is a very bad choice. There is an easy breakfast food that you can grab on your way out the door!

Nutritions

If you need an easy breakfast Yogurt is the answer. Yogurt is a great way to start your day. You can grab a yogurt and be out the door in minutes. It full of healthy nutrition and is a great source of Vitamin D, Probiotics, Potassium and Magnesium and Calcium. Everything you need to get a jump start in the morning can be found in yogurt including protein which will fill you up.

Your breakfast sets the pace for your day and how you will eat through out the day. If you forgo breakfast you are setting yourself up for a day full of grazing until lunch time when you will likely over indulge because you did not eat breakfast.

An easy breakfast yogurt makes for sure! By the simple act of starting your day out right with a nice quick breakfast it will change your entire morning and help you to eat better for the day.

Of course you can buy all sort of yogurt in your grocery shop but did you know you can make your own? Homemade (greek) yogurt makers (click for best yogurt makers here) from brands like Dash, Yogourmet and Cuisinart are widely available and costing a lot less nowadays. With these yogurt machines you just add the ingredients, set the timer and in the morning you have fresh yogurt. You can add different flavors so you can have tasty yogurt how you like every single day.

Granola and Yogurt

You can eat yogurt on its own right out of the container or you can mix in some granola to get the added benefit of some fiber in your diet and to give the yogurt a bit more morning substance. You can even prepare your yogurt and granola the night before. Mix it up put it in the fridge and you are ready to go.

Fruit and Yogurt

If you have a banana and yogurt you have breakfast! Strawberries, blueberries, cut up apples just about any fruit goes great with some yogurt. Prepare the night before or grab it all on your way out the door. It is a simple easy breakfast that is so healthy.

Just Yogurt

You do not have to mix anything in to your yogurt. You can have just yogurt for breakfast. There are plenty of different kinds of yogurt to choose from that have fruit mixed in, that are flavored and that are convenient.

Is there any breakfast that is easier than opening a container and walking out the door? You can just wake up, east some yogurt and do you morning run! If you like something a little heavier than choose a Greek style yogurt that is super rich and creamy. You can opt for organic low fat yogurt.

There are so many choices that you can go a few weeks of eating yogurt for breakfast everyday and never repeat the same flavor. When you need an easy breakfast, yogurt should be your go to food. It is super healthy, super convenient and as easy as it gets. No cooking, no stopping, no worrying and most importantly no skipping breakfast when you have yogurt on hand. Have a good health and better life!