Have a better brekkie

Are you a fan of a big, hearty breakfast?  If not, you should be. 

The old adages go: “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,”  and also "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper," but who actually pays attention to these?  I know lots of people who avoid breakfast and I’m sure some of you reading this are culprits of doing so too, but why is breakfast so vital?  As advocates for having a large, wholesome breakfast, and as partners of the exciting Better Brekkie campaign, we’re going to tell you why you should tuck in to the best meal of the day.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The word breakfast literally means 'breaking the fast'. After going 10-12 hours overnight without food, your energy levels will be low.  Your body and brain therefore need food to top-up the stores and restore blood sugar levels – preferably within two hours of waking.  Breakfast restores glucose levels, an essential carbohydrate that is needed for the brain to function.  This explains why those who eat breakfast feel mentally and physically better than those who don’t.  Eating breakfast also has a positive effect on cognitive performance and, according to the NHS, can have long term health benefits.  It can reduce high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.  Breakfast eaters are less likely to be overweight because they are kick starting their metabolism.  Your metabolism slows down while you sleep and it doesn’t speed up until you eat again.  If you don’t eat until lunch time your body won’t burn as many calories as it could during the morning.  To stay fuller for longer and to increase metabolic rate, which leads to greater fat burning, you should have a high protein, low glycemic load breakfast.  Try also to include carbohydrates, fruit and dairy for a varied meal.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Breakfast is vital for all ages too.  Research has shown that eating breakfast can help improve children’s problem solving abilities, their memory, concentration levels and creative thinking.  School breakfast clubs have been linked with improved maths grades, reduced school absence and psychosocial problems.

Highlighting the importance of breakfast is something we feel very strongly about and is exactly the reason why we are a partner/sponsor for the Better Brekkie campaign.  This new initiative is being co-ordinated by PhytoTrade Africa, an organisation that represents producers of the Baobab super fruit, and it aims to get Britain to wake up to a better and healthier breakfast. 

  

The campaign kicks off with a week full of events, competitions and special offers between 24 and 30 September.  It will ensure that people start understanding the benefits of breakfast and why it is such a vital meal.  It will also stop those who say they don’t like breakfast or they don’t have time to eat it by showing quick, easy and varied breakfast options that suit all tastes.

We think we’re the ideal partner for this inspirational campaign because Simply Nectar is the perfect addition to breakfast.  It is a great drink to accompany the breakfast food and it’s also good way of getting one of your five a day.  What’s more, Simply Nectar drinks contain high amounts of vitamins.  Peach Simply Nectar, for example, contains more than 200 per cent of the RDA of vitamin C and Mango Simply Nectar contains more than 500 per cent.

Take a look at the Better Brekkie website (www.betterbrekkie.com) for more details on this fantastic campaign, and also to gather more interesting facts on why breakfast is and should be the most important meal of the day.

Simply breakfast,
 

Simply Nectar