Coffee Breakfast

A healthy breakfast boosts physical energy and improves concentration and memory.

A healthy breakfast refuels your body and helps you function at your peak. Research shows that eating a healthy breakfast improves attention, concentration, academic achievement and physical energy. A healthy breakfast can be quick and easy to prepare. Start your day off right with a healthy, nutritious breakfast for optimum mental and physical wellness.

Physical Benefits

MayoClinic.com reports that people who regularly eat breakfast have lower cholesterol, and thus a lower risk for heart disease. A healthy breakfast also makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight, reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Additionally, a healthy breakfast provides energy for physical activity. People who skip breakfast tend to be more sedentary throughout their day than breakfast eaters, according to MayoClinic.com. Children who eat breakfast also have better muscle coordination, notes the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Mental Benefits

Your brain needs fuel just as the rest of your body does. After fasting overnight, your brain’s supply of glucose, its main source of energy, is depleted. A healthy breakfast will jumpstart your brain and power it throughout the morning, allowing you to think clearly and concentrate on mental tasks. In a study published in the October 2008 issue of “Indian Pediatrics, ” middle-school students who ate breakfast every day had better attention, concentration, memory and school achievement than those who only consumed breakfast sometimes or never did. Eating breakfast is also associated with enhanced creativity and increased productivity.

Good Breakfasts

A healthy breakfast should provide complex carbohydrates, protein and a little fat, because this combination will hold off hunger for hours. Ready-to-eat cereal with fruit and a splash of milk fits the bill. MayoClinic.com recommends choosing a cereal with a high-fiber content. Yogurt and a whole-grain muffin with marmalade also qualifies as a good breakfast. A glass of juice adds more vitamins and minerals, but be sure it's 100 percent juice with no added sugar.

Tips

Eliminate excuses for bypassing breakfast by sticking to easy-to-prepare foods such as ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit and a hard-boiled egg, or simply grab leftovers from last night’s dinner. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics notes that even a lean-meat sandwich or a slice of vegetable pizza on whole-wheat crust can make a good breakfast. If you never seem to have the time for breakfast, MayoClinic.com suggests preparing your breakfast the night before and getting up 10 minutes early to eat it or pack something to take with you. There are many ways to include a healthy breakfast in your daily menu. Your body and brain will thank you.