Wake up! It’s breakfast time [Archives:2006/948/Health]

By: Dr. Maha Al-Nakkash
Are you one of those busy people who just don't have time for breakfast? If so, you're among millions who regularly deprive their bodies of valuable fuel, and as new research shows, you could be heading for serious heartache.

We've all been there. The alarm beeps; you make a feeble attempt to un-fuse your eyelids, grunt and then go back to sleep. Just 20 more minutes in bed will do the trick.

Forty-five minutes later and with just 15 seconds left to unwind from your duvet, dash through a shower and leap into your clothes, you leave the house without so much as a swig of coffee.

When the snack trolley rolls up around mid-morning, you suddenly realize you're starving. No wonder, you skipped breakfast, didn't you? So, what better excuse to tuck into that calorie-laden chocolate bar and perhaps a slice of sticky cake to go with that long-awaited double mocha cream coffee. Mmmm!

Stop. Rewind. The scenario you've just played out literally could have affected your whole life.

Ok, one morning of indulgence is hardly going to put you on the fast track to the fat farm. But if this situation is a regular part of your life, there are many ways in which it could be damaging your daily performance and health.

According to new research, breakfast has never been so big. Lifestyle habits must change, say regional doctors, who are becoming increasingly concerned at the numbers of super-sized people with super-sized health problems in the Middle East.

For example, obesity rates are climbing in the United Arab Emirates. Recent studies show that in Al Ain, school children as young as age 5 are classified as obese and a whopping 50 percent of Gulf citizens are overweight as a result of sedentary lifestyles, lack of exercise and poor eating habits.

A U.A.E. study known as the Emirates National Diabetes study (Endcad) showed that 74 percent of the random group studied was either overweight or obese. In fact, obesity has reached such alarming proportions in the Middle East, that more than 45 percent of women aged 15-49 are overweight or obese, according to a leading international obesity expert.

People in this region are eating far too much of the wrong foods and not exerting enough. Obesity is a far greater threat in the Middle East region, even compared to developed countries like the United States. Obesity is much higher in native Gulf populations because countries in the region have moved toward a high-fat and high carbohydrate diet.

In North America, experts are so concerned that they're targeting the younger generation in the hope that lifestyle habits literally can be re-learned. All U.S. schools should implement breakfast programs because breakfast now is officially the most important meal of the day and skipping it not only will make you statistically fatter and less healthy, but statically less intelligent.

Performance food

Eating breakfast can help ward off obesity. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), it not only affects appetite, but also recognizably benefits metabolism and insulin rates. AHA studies show that those who eat a healthy breakfast every day have a 50 percent lower chance of developing insulin resistance syndrome (a major cause of obesity in the U.S.) and diabetes than those who consistently skipped the meal.

Additionally, it was discovered that those who ate whole grain, complex carbohydrates in the morning fared a further 15 percent better than those who ate breakfast but preferred refined carbohydrate products like pastries, pancakes, white bread and processed cereals.

Local experts blame lifestyle choices as leading to obesity, which is a high risk factor for developing diabetes and causes complications for those already living with the disease. For many obese diabetics, beginning a weight management program may be the most important step they can undertake to keep themselves healthy.

However, the impact of bad eating habits is even more serious for the young, as not eating breakfast affects academic performance and learning. U.A.E. schools that participated in studies showed those students who skipped the first meal of the day were lower achievers, less organized, participated less in classes and struggled more academically to achieve moderate grades. The same children also were involved in more disruptive behavior incidents.

Breaking the habit

You may now be sold on the idea of eating breakfast, but that doesn't alter the fact that you'll have to leave the safe confines of your bed 20 minutes earlier to consume it.

However, like most things in life, a healthy routine is built through habit. Nutritionists advise that if there is one time when you should eat – even if you don't feel hungry – it's first thing in the morning.

Breakfast enables the body to refuel itself and replenish its exhausted energy reserves. Eating a good breakfast, low in fat and rich in dietary fiber, assists in re-energizing the body's metabolism, providing sufficient amounts of energy and nutrients mentally and physically to survive the earliest part of the day.

Build breakfast into your basic routine every morning and you soon will notice great improvement in your energy and well-being.

Breakfast on the run

Try some of these super fast power breakfasts to boost your performance, including single servings of whole grain, low sugar cereal and skimmed milk.

– Yogurt: Go for the low-fat, bio, fruit or natural varieties rather than those with chocolate or toffee pieces or yogurt drinks containing special bacteria to aid digestion.

– Fresh fruit: Perfect for the weight-conscious breakfast skipper. Choose berries for their super-antioxidant properties or bananas for the ultimate energy boost.

– Fruit cocktails: Can't face raw fruit? Luckily, most cafeterias serve a whole range of delicious fresh fruit juices that can be whizzed up in seconds and will carry you through until lunch time.

– Cheese or zatar (thyme) bread: Packed with energy and available from most bakeries at breakfast. Dieters should stick to zatar for the lower fat content.

– Breakfast cereal bars: Nutritious and handy for those on the go, but check the fat and sugar content.
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