Why have breakfast?

Breakfast is reputed to be the most important meal of the day. In fact, its purpose is to provide 25% of the day’s energy intake! So where does this reputation come from and why should you have breakfast?

Breakfast is sometimes forgotten in the morning due to lack of time or habit, and when it is present, it is often high in carbohydrates. These different choices have consequences for the body, which you can feel throughout the day, especially during your Kinomap training sessions. These consequences can notably include a lack of energy, increased fatigue, and even a lack of concentration. 

Whether sweet or savory, find out why you should have breakfast to start your day on the right foot and optimize your Kinomap workouts!

The benefits of HAVINg breakfast

To have breakfast has a number of benefits for your body, and plays a very important role in the rest of your day. We recommend that you divide your daily food intake into 3 meals: 25% for breakfast, 40% for lunch and 35% for dinner.
If you add one or more snacks during the day, you should count on around 5% each.

The purpose of breakfast

The purpose of breakfast is to recharge your body with the right nutrients. During a night’s sleep, which can also be understood as a period of fasting, our body continues to function. During this period, it uses energy to breathe, to keep your heart beating and, quite simply, to keep you alive!
Once you’ve used this energy, you need to put it back into your body to recharge your batteries! Not least with the help of several macronutrients.

Combining macronutrients

Among the 3 macronutrients essential to our bodies are carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
Indeed, eating protein at breakfast helps curb cravings by increasing satiety. They help regulate blood sugar levels and stimulate your body in the morning. What’s more, your muscles need carbohydrates and proteins to function properly, build and recover.

Lipids also provide energy! They are necessary for the structure of our cells, and enable the transport of fat-soluble vitamins. Sometimes high in carbohydrates, breakfast is often made up of many carbohydrate-rich foods. These are found mainly in industrial cereals, white bread, industrial fruit juices and pastries.
To get the best out of carbohydrates, we prefer complex carbohydrates or those with a low glycemic index, which take longer to digest, provide a longer-lasting source of energy throughout the day and have a greater satiety-enhancing effect. These are found in wholemeal bread, oatmeal, muesli, etc…
All in all, combining these three macronutrients contributes to a balanced breakfast!

Breakfast benefits the body

Another point why you should have breakfast is that it plays an important role in controlling your appetite, preventing cravings which are often accompanied by snacking. It rehydrates your body after several hours of fasting and balances your hormones, releasing dopamine, for example, to help you fight fatigue. In addition to that, it optimizes your concentration and memory. For early-morning athletes, it is also a source of recovery after training on an empty stomach or early in the morning. In this case, you’ll need to pay close attention to your digestion and find a breakfast that will work best for you.

How to compose your breakfast?

Include a source of protein, a source of fat, and a source of carbohydrates! You can opt for a sweet or savory version depending on your preferences.

Some versions for having a sweet breakfast:

Hot or cold porridge:

• Vegetable or animal milk
• 4 to 5 tablespoons of rolled oats
• One banana, cut into pieces

Once the oats have swelled and bonded with the milk, you can transfer the mixture to a bowl, then add the toppings of your choice: oilseeds, berries, peanut butter…
When the weather’s nice, you can even make a cold version! Simply prepare it the day before.
In an airtight jar, add the oatmeal and plant/animal milk, stir and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add your toppings!

Cottage cheese, granola and fruit:

• 125g cottage cheese
• 1 portion of muesli
• Red or chopped fruit (banana)

Pancakes:

• 1 egg
• 1 mashed banana
• 1 pot yoghurt
• 1 pot flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tsp honey-agave-cinnamon syrup

Brown some dough in the pan, add toppings of your choice (oilseeds, berries, banana, peanut butter…) and enjoy!

Some versions for having a savory breakfast:

Toast:

• 2 fried eggs
• Grilled ham, bacon or salmon
• 2 slices of wholemeal – Nordic – cereal bread
• 1 piece of fruit

Scrambled eggs:

• 2 slices wholemeal Nordic cereal bread
• 2 scrambled eggs
• 1 piece of fruit

You can accompany your breakfasts with hot drinks, such as coffee, tea or herbal tea.(Beware of tea, especially black tea, as theine inhibits the inhibition of non-heme iron in the case of iron deficiency!)

When it comes to fruit juices, always opt for freshly squeezed orange juice from home!

Your balanced diet throughout the day is the most important factor in your progress on Kinomap!

Chloé Masson
Nutrition Project Manager
chloemasson.nutrition@gmail.com

See previous nutrition articles:
HOW SHOULD YOU EAT BEFORE TRAINING?
SPORT & HYDRATION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW