by Ben Johnson
In my previous article, we talked about some basic ideas on what to eat at certain times of the day. In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons why – starting with breakfast.
Starting with breakfast, when you wake up in the morning, your body is a little dehydrated. Think about it; if you just slept for 8 hours or so, then you haven’t really had any water in that time. Your body is designed to sleep without having to wake up and get a drink to stay on top of hydration, but one of the first things you should do in the morning is go to your kitchen, and get a drink of water. Not a whole lot, but more than a sip. This is a good start to your morning and is a good way to slowly wake up your “insides” with a little fluid action. You need to drink water throughout the day simply because you cannot live without it.
Water is around 70-80 percent of your body’s structure, not to mention it acts as a flushing agent that helps clean out your body’s systems. And the best time to drink water is on an empty stomach; don’t drink it with meals because it gets mixed up with the food in your stomach and it’s a lot easier to digest food when it’s not diluted. This goes for all drinks with meals with the exception of alcohol. Bready foods help absorb the alcohol in the stomach and make the “blood absorption process” slower. But we’re talking about breakfast today.
Once you’ve had your drink of water, and given it a few minutes to run its course, now it’s time to look for breakfast. If you plan on going for a jog, walk, run, bike, etc., then you may want to consume something that won’t stick to you all morning. Like a smoothie! All you need is a blender from Target, some of your favorite fruits or vegetables, and something like yogurt for your fruits or some flaxseed oil for your vegetables, and you’re set for breakfast. This kind of meal will go through you pretty quick, so be on stand-by, and it should hold you over until lunch.
Now, if you don’t plan on running or walking, then go with a bowl of cereal, an egg sandwich, some oatmeal, or something hardy. Remember you just woke up and your body has some “sludge” left over inside from yesterday and it might be good idea to flush it out with something like fiber or bran-flakes. Remember what I said too, that everyone is different; we each have different bodies, lifestyles, and eating choices. My point is to emphasize on eating and not skip meals while you’re in college, but at the same time, make some healthy choices. Next time, we’ll talk about lunch.