We all know how important breakfast is…but more than half of American adults do not eat breakfast everyday. There are many benefits of eating breakfast that you won’t want to miss…here are the highlights:

Breakfast fuels your brain after the overnight fast.  That is why it’s called break-fast.  Your brain needs the energy and you benefit!  Kids benefit, too.  Studies have shown that children do better in school (improved memory, alertness, concentration, and test scores) compared to kids who skip breakfast.

Breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.  Unfortunately, many people skip breakfast just to save calories.  The fact is that breakfast skippers are at a greater risk for weight gain and obesity.  Researchers have not yet pinpointed the cause for breakfast’s effect on weight management.  It may be due to factors in reducing hunger throughout the day or that eating breakfast is indicative of other healthy lifestyle behaviors.  More research is being done to better understand this link.

Eating breakfast helps you meet nutritional goals, especially for whole grains, dairy and fruits.  Let’s face it, it’s hard to get all of the recommended servings of whole grains (3), dairy (3) and fruits and vegetables (5) in your diet even spread across three meals and one or two snacks.  If a meal is skipped, it is even harder to meet the requirements.  Breakfast is a natural opportunity to include whole grain (with ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, hot cereals, and whole grain toast and waffles), fruit (100% juice, fresh, canned, frozen or dried fruit) and fat-free or low-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese).

Emerging research suggests that eating breakfast may improve your overall health, helping your heart, digestion, and bones.  All of these benefits may be due to the nutritional boost from breakfast- fiber from fruit and whole grains for heart health; fiber for digestive health; and calcium from dairy foods for bone health.

This weekend, I hope you’ll make breakfast a priority.  You can even try some easy, favorite Myplate2yours breakfast recipes like baked oatmeal, smoothies, granola, and oatmeal muffins.

Next week, I’ll share more breakfast ideas and Top 5 Breakfasts To-Go.

Stay tuned!!