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Andrea Ventura
English 1001
Prof. Watson
February 26, 2019
How to Start Your Day Right Commented [VA(1]: Great title!

I have never met one person that doesn’t love food, even if they are picky eaters they still

have their favorites. So why do so many people skip breakfast? Did you know 20-30 percent of

Americans skip breakfast regularly (Rabin). There are so many breakfast foods that are so tasty, Commented [VA(2]: Great quote. This should be a
question mark.
quick, and easy. I have always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even

with this knowledge I still find myself skipping breakfast quite often. How do we even know that

this statement is true? How important is breakfast? Is it really the most important meal of the

day? I have spent a great deal of time researching the importance of breakfast, and I have found

so many reasons why we should make breakfast a priority. Commented [VA(3]: Very developed thesis statement.
“many reasons” should include or allude to the reasons.
Breakfast is the first meal of the day. Not only is it important for metabolism, its

important to break the fast of our resting body. After a long nights sleep, the body is still waking

up and is low on energy, vitamins and minerals (John). The best time to eat is right Away. This

give our bodies exactly what it needs to keep on going. When we deprive our bodies of breakfast

we are doing more harm then good. Our bodies begin to shut down, even if we do not realize the Commented [VA(4]: Add comma

effects right away.

A lot of people think that skipping breakfast will help them loose weight, because they Commented [VA(5]: Lose*
Commented [VA(6]: Remove comma
are not eating as many calories. This is actually flawed thinking, because when we skip breakfast

we tend to eat more throughout the day to compensate for the lack food in the morning (John).

One big reason you gain weight from skipping breakfast is because your body thinks it’s starving

and begins to conserve fat cells rather then burning any calories you may eat later in the day.
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You also miss out on vital fruits and vegetables, and are more likely to eat snacks that are very

unhealthy (The Science Behind).

Also, with skipping breakfast you become more prone to other diseases such as; diabetes,

metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure (John). A Study from the International Breakfast

Research Initiative took a survey from 2011-2014 and found that, “Breakfast skipping was

associated with lower education and incomes, themselves predictors of lower-quality diets and

impaired health. Many previous studies have pointed to associations between breakfast

skipping and unfavorable health outcomes” (Drewnowski, Rehm, and Vieux). Breakfast is so Commented [VA(7]: Good!

important in helping us stay awake and focused throughout the day. When we skip breakfast we

find ourselves starving by lunch time, and by this point we are hungry, tired and drained of

energy.

After learning about the disadvantages of skipping breakfast, it is time to learn about the

advantages of eating in the morning. Those who eat in the morning have lower BMI (Body Mass

Index), eat healthier, have a better calcium and fiber intake, and have an overall better attention

and performance throughout the day (The Science Behind). The evidence presented by Amanda

McMillan in a controlled trial states, “…that regularly eating a substantial morning meal directly

affects how fat cells function in the body by changing the activity of genes involved in fat

metabolism and insulin resistance” (MacMillan). This experiment proves that eating breakfast

every morning improves our bodies overall metabolism. This means that even if we eat more

calories throughout the day because of adding breakfast, the jump start to our metabolism will

have incredible energy burning benefits (MacMillan). Commented [VA(8]: These are interesting points, can you
elaborate?
Some added benefits of eating breakfast is that it provides the body with plenty of energy

that it needs to start the day, but also keeps you awake and focused longer (Why Make
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Breakfast). After researching 14,488 people from all different age groups and nationalities in

America; Adam Drewnowski, Colin D. Rehm, and Florent Vieux found that those associated

with eating breakfast daily had higher family and social economic status and a higher quality of

food intake (Drewnowski, Rehm, and Vieux). As I continued to research this topic of the

importance of breakfast I am reminded of a substantial amount of evidence that proves how

important it is not to skip this meal.

Now lets talk a little about breakfast choices and how they affect us during the day. Lets

say you chose a donut and a cup of juice for breakfast these consist of simple carbohydrates that

our bodies break down very easily. This gives us a quick burst of energy and usually only lasts

for about one to two hours. Whereas if you chose oatmeal, a banana, and a glass of milk these

would give you a longer lasting energy boost (Why Make Breakfast). When choosing a breakfast

that has the perfect balance you should choose three out of the five food groups. The Dairy

Council of California has provided a great visual model that displays how to make the perfect be

breakfast that will keep you focused longer:

(Why Make Breakfast). Eating a balanced breakfast will keep you full longer because it takes the

body longer to digest these types of food groups. Children and young adult that choose to eat a

balanced breakfast tend to eat less unheathy snacks late at night, and also do better in school

(Why Make Breakfast).

So it is incredibly imortant to take time to eat a healthy breakfast. Yes, you can just grab

a quick bite to eat and a cup of coffee on your way to work or school, but this quick meal will
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not be enough to give you the enrgy you need until lunch time. According to Roni Rabin who

studied the research of dietary patterns of 50,000 adults stated, “…we should front-load our

calories early in the day to jump-start our metabolism and prevent obesity, starting with a robust

breakfast and tappering off to a smaller lunch and light supper, or no supper at all” (Rabin). This

study suggests that many Ammericans have gotten our meal prioreties extremely backwards.

Roni Rabin has another great message to add not only about eating breakfast but also the

amount:

“Having the largest meal in the morning appears to have advantages for weight

control compared with having a large meal in the evening, [Dr. Kahleova] said,

since the digestive process and the action of insulin, the pancreatic hormone that

the body uses to process the sugars in carbohydrates and store glucose, appear to

be at their peak performance early in the day” (Rabin).

Who knew that not only eating breakfast is important, but also the amount and what you chose to

eat! This may seem like a lot to all my fellow breakfast skippers, but we can do this, we can

make a change to take a little time for oursleves every morning. Giving our bodies the engergy

and kick start it needs every morning.

I find that many people skip breakfast because they just don’t have enough time in the

moring to everything they need to get done, and still have time to make breakfast. There are so

many options that are incredibly easy to make and take with you. Maybe a morning smoothie

with fruits, veggies, oatmeal and milk mixed in. Throw all the ingredients into a blender start it

and walk away to do something, by the time you get back youll have a delicious drink waiting

for you with three important food groups needed for a balanced breakfast. Another quick and

easy breakfast meal that has three out of the five food groups is a peanut butter and banana
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sandwich with a glass of milk (Why Make Breakfast). These are all really easy and give you

exactly what you need.

After my research, I have been doing a little better with getting myself up just a little

earlier to eat a balanced breakfast. Occasionally I still find myself reaching for a donut and cup

of coffee. On those days I can tell by 11 am I am hungry again, and I may not have been as Commented [VA(9]: Very good conclusion! Very
effective.
focused as I should have been in class. It is a working progress, hopefully I will continue pushing

myself to make healthier choices for breakfast and soon enough it will become a habit. I know

that eating breakfast starts my metabolism, which helps me maintain my weight, and gives me a

kickstart to my imune health. Hopefully eating breakfast will give me enough vitamins and

minerals this year to kep me from getting the flu. Wouldn’t that be another added bonus to the

long list of advantages that breakfast has to offer.

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Works Cited

Drewnowski, Adam, Colin D. Rehm, and Florent Vieux. "Breakfast in the United States: Food and

Nutrient Intakes in Relation to Diet Quality in National Health and Examination Survey

2011⁻2014. A Study from the International Breakfast Research Initiative." Nutrients, vol. 10, no.

9, 2018, pp. 1200.

John, Claire St. “5 Reasons to Eat a Protein-Packed Breakfast.” HealthyEating.org, Dairy Council of

California, Healthy Eating Made Easier, www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-

Living/Health-Nutrition/Article-Viewer/Article/569/5-Reasons-to-Eat-a-Protein-Packed-

Breakfast. Accessed February 06, 2019.

MacMillan, Amanda. “Eating Breakfast Can Help Your Metabolism, Study Says.” Time, Time, 29 Nov.

2017, time.com/5040325/eating-breakfast-metabolism/.

Rabin, Roni Caryn. “The Case for a Breakfast Feast.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21

Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/well/eat/the-case-for-a-breakfast-feast.html.

“The Science Behind Breakfast.” Rush University Medical Center, www.rush.edu/health-

wellness/discover-health/why-you-should-eat-breakfast.

“Why Make Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day.” HealthyEating.org, Dairy Council of

California, Healthy Eating Made Easier, www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Eating-

Videos/Make-Breakfast-Important.