Mother knew best when she constantly nagged you about eating breakfast before school. You might not have noticed, but if you didn’t eat breakfast as a kid you would have trouble concentrating in class, and be irritable and tired the whole day. It is very easy to skip breakfast with our fast paced lifestyles today but a healthy breakfast fuels you up and gets you ready for a hectic day. If your idea of breakfast is grabbing a fountain soda from the local convenience store then you should read on.
Research has proven that children do better in school if they start the day with a healthy breakfast and the same is true for adults in the workplace. A breakfast of champions includes complex carbohydrates (cereal, oatmeal), protein (hard boiled egg, cottage cheese, lox), and a small amount of fat (butter, nuts). If breakfast makes your stomach churn, try eating two small snacks about 1-2 hours apart. Avoid sugary cereal, donuts, syrups and white breads because they’re digested quickly and will leave you feeling hungry before lunch time. On the other hand, protein and fiber satisfy hunger and keep you feeling full.
According to a marketing research group, the most popular breakfast is cereal followed by coffee then fruit juice. Most people would rather sleep than prepare breakfast so they don’t even have time for cereal, anymore. So, cereal companies have been marketing to meal skippers and “to go” eaters with cereal bars. The time it takes to get kids ready for school in the morning is another common excuse for foregoing breakfast. An easy solution would be to prepare meals the night before and reevaluate your morning routine.
Most people skip breakfast to lose weight but that is actually counter productive. Skipping breakfast increases the chances of a heart attack as well as obesity and diabetes.
Also, eating at the beginning of the day stabilizes blood sugar levels, which regulates appetite and energy. It also helps you maintain a healthy weight. So, go ahead and have breakfast! Your body will thank you in the long run.
Archive for the ‘Food And Beverage’ Category
Stop the Excuses: Eat Breakfast!
Category Food And Beverage
The Bed And Breakfast Experience
Category Food And Beverage
“The Bed and Breakfast Experience” describes the differences offered by bed and breakfasts compared to hotels. Essentially you enjoy the amenities of a hotel with added personal touches. Someone once described a bed and breakfast as the next best thing to staying with friends. You are even greeted by name! There are no “cookie-cutter” aspects to a stay in a bed and breakfast – each home is as individual as its owners.
There’s somewhere for everyone to stay: you can choose from a downtown heritage home, waterfront guest house, country manor house, elegant inn, country cottage, contemporary home, farm or a woodland retreat.
It can be a daunting task to find reliably good quality accommodation when browsing through websites. Look for professional-looking sites: these reflect the qualities of the B&B. They should offer a website availability calendar with easy online reservations as well as a toll-free telephone service. Further, reputable bed and breakfasts often subscribe to organisations with inspection and approval standards. If you book with a bed and breakfast which meets these requirements you should be assured that you will not be disappointed. For example, in Canada the national ratings system, Canada Select, assesses amenities and quality of décor. 4, 4.5 or 5 Stars indicate the best quality.
Business travellers have traditionally sought their accommodation in hotels catering to their requirements. But things are changing with many bed and breakfasts now offering all their business needs free of charge: high-speed wireless internet, desks, telephone, computer and printer. The provision of free local telephone calls, free parking, free movies, free newspaper and free beverages make for savings – and that is not to mention an inclusive memorable breakfast. Themed unique furnishings and comfortable décor help to make the stay pleasingly memorable. There is, or should be, no sense of trespassing in someone’s home; privacy is paramount. The days are long gone when staying at a bed and breakfast entailed sleeping in someone’s spare room with basic amenities (possibly including a tired shag carpet) and a shared bathroom “down the hall”!
The B&B is typically a private residence whose owners choose to have this business lifestyle because they enjoy meeting people. A high level of service with an attention to detailed is almost guaranteed; after all, their livelihood depends on it. Some welcome families, others pets, whilst others are adult oriented. Your hosts gladly provide insights into the areas tourist attractions and activities, restaurant recommendations as well as tips and local secrets. The inclusive breakfast has local produce, fresh jams, delicious baked goods and mouth-watering specialties.
Many bed and breakfasts are in attractive older homes oozing charm furnished by antiques, while others offer modern crisp elegance and contemporary art. Luxuriate in fine linens on a comfortable bed, soak in a two-person bubbling whirlpool bathtub and snuggle up in armchairs to enjoy the ambience of a fireplace – just the place for a romantic or quiet break. Beautiful gardens are often a feature too for quiet relaxation. Smaller boutique hotels are now incorporating some of the successful qualities of bed and breakfasts into their renovations.
If this is to be your first bed and breakfast experience it very likely will not be your last.
Healthy Breakfast – The Most Important Meal of the Day
Category Food And Beverage
Almost everyone treats breakfast as the least important meal of the day. It never gets the attention it deserves. Dinner, on the other hand, is the kind of meal that should always be light and healthy, but we end up overeating at the dinner table (great way to gain weight since the body does not burn the calories readily, after all, you will be going to bed soon). Furthermore, we wake up the next morning ‘not feeling hungry’ for breakfast. This is the single biggest mistake for anyone trying to lose weight. A meal that is grossly underrated, breakfast ‘breaks your overnight fast’ and is therefore the most important meal for the day. It allows you to begin the day with energy and vitality.
Isn’t it an irony that a timely and nutritious breakfast is a rarity for most of us? You may be a busy corporate executive or a top-level athlete, the importance of breakfast remains the same for everyone. Let us analyze the role that breakfast plays in our life.
Here are the basic truths about that first meal of the day:
Skipping breakfast won’t make you thinner.
Skipping this meal will usually cause you to eat more for lunch and / or dinner. If you start the day without a meal don’t be surprised if you feel tired, lethargic and easily fatigued later in the day. It’s almost like driving to work with no gas. The best strategy for keeping your weight in check and your energy level high is to fuel yourself evenly throughout the day. Eat a good breakfast, moderate lunch, and light dinner, (as well as small snacks in between, if you feel hungry). In particular, if you are about to have a hectic day, it becomes even more important to eat a good breakfast. If you starve your body by avoiding breakfast, it will begin to lose muscle (something you do not want) and retaining fat. The interesting thing is that muscle weighs more than fat, which means that dieting (skipping breakfast) may show up as weight loss on the scale. However, most dieters can become weaker although they may become smaller if they rely on dieting exclusively as a means to lose weight.
Breakfast enables you to function better.
Recent research results showed that children who skip breakfast are less able to concentrate in studies and in play. Their ability to perform complex tasks is impaired. The effects were similar in adults. As an experiment, change (improve) your breakfast habits for 2 days. You will then understand the impact that breakfast has on your day.
Cereals and fruits are still the best.
According to the National Cancer Institute of America, “diets high in fibre and low in fat, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals with low fat cheese or butter may reduce the risk of cancer.” Daily fibre intake should be 20 to 30 grams. Insoluble fibre, the kind found in whole wheat bread and wheat-based bran cereals, helps lower the risk of colon cancer and speeds up digestion. Soluble fibre, found in oat bran and fruit, helps lower blood cholesterol, and may reduce the risk of coronary ailments.
Start your day with a piece of fruit, a glass of milk / coffee and some high fiber bread. You can enjoy your breakfast while driving!
So try these simple suggestions and kickstart your day with a healthy breakfast!