[machpamb]

So what’s the perfect start to a day? Apart from a sunny morning and birds tweeting outside your window? A wholesome and healthy breakfast. Very often, in a hurry to make it to work on time or an attempt to shed a few kilos, we skip our breakfast.

Experts say that not only is it unhealthy, but it could also work against your weight losing strategy.

“There is a reason it’s called breakfast,” says nutritionist Seema Rawal.

“You are literally breaking a 10-11 hour fast since it is the first thing you are having after the previous night’s dinner. The body needs a constant supply of food. When you skip meals, the body is starved. This may lead to overeating and making unhealthy choices of food,” she says.

An ideal breakfast should be rich in proteins and fibre, so that it satisfies one’s hunger until lunch time.

Besides, it helps increase one’s metabolism, believes Seema. “If lunch is your first meal for the day, the body doesn’t process the food, as quickly as it holds on to the nutrients for a longer time. This slows down the metabolic rate, and causes weight gain,” she adds.

-dc chn