Click here for the original post.
Breakfast breaks the fasting period our bodies undergo while we’re sleeping. You can quickly see why breakfast is essential: your body has just gone through hours with no nutrients. When you awake and begin your day, you need fuel.
In fact, when researchers surveyed people who lived to be 100, the single most consistent trait among them was that they never missed breakfast.
It’s essential that you eat breakfast every day and that you eat something that will sustain your blood sugar at least until a midmorning snack. Oatmeal is a star here, because your body digests it slowly, sending your feel-good serotonin upward and keeping your blood sugar even.
When I ask my patients about their breakfast habits, some tell me they feel like they just don’t have time. If you’re among this group, here’s a tip: buy a big box of 1-minute oatmeal–not the flavored packets, please, with the added sugar and chemicals, just plain oats.
The night before your busy day, prepare a large portion of oatmeal by measuring out the oats and skim milk or soy milk (and a handful of raisins if you like) in a bowl, covering it with a paper towel, and microwaving (instructions are on the package). This takes about 3 minutes.
Let it cool and put in the fridge. When you wake up, scoop out a portion, add a little more milk if you like, and microwave for one minute. Add some sliced banana, berries, a few nuts, cinnamon, or toasted and ground flaxseed to pump up the nutritional value even more.
Oatmeal lowers your bad cholesterol and also contains avenanthramides, which minimize the ability of your blood cells to stick to the walls of your arteries. Think of oatmeal, sweeping your arteries clean by reducing the build-up of plaque and minimizing inflammation in your blood vessels, both of which can lead to a heart attack.
Don’t you feel better already?