The increasingly hectic pace of life means that for many Italians, breakfast is still limited to a cup of coffee with a sachet of sugar or, at most, the classic croissant accompanied by a cappuccino. Breakfast, in reality, is one of the most important times to adequately activate the metabolism: limiting oneself to coffee or cappuccino with a croissant only facilitates overweight and inflammation.

Innumerable studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects that breakfast (or its absence) can have on the body, and all of them have shown that the most significant impact is metabolic in nature. Those who skip the first meal of the day worsen all the classic indices of metabolic syndrome (visceral fat, which surrounds internal organs, blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin resistance). This leads to a greater risk of inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and even cancer.

A balanced breakfast containing a source of protein is associated with an improvement in mood, attention, and performance (at school and at work). Not only that, a good breakfast significantly reduces the risk of developing gastrointestinal ulcers and, in women, reduces problems related to the menstrual cycle, osteoporosis, reproductive function, and fertility.

Adults and children who regularly eat breakfast report feeling better, being happier, healthier, and having more energy.

Breakfast therefore helps to lose weight and prevent metabolic syndrome. According to a 2004 study conducted by Dr. John De Castro and published in the Journal of Nutrition, it emerged that the richer and more complete breakfast is, the greater the energy expenditure: this, therefore, helps to consume less food throughout the day, to have less hunger, and to stimulate hormones that promote the consumption of energy introduced with food. The mechanism behind hunger regulation is linked to the group of genes inherited from our Paleolithic ancestors: without food at breakfast, the body feels in famine and it will be impossible to control the impulse to pounce on something edible during the day.

Skipping breakfast causes the release of particular molecules called cytokines or adipokines. Most of these molecules are produced in response to food inflammation (consumption of untolerated foods) or at times unsuitable for the body (absence of breakfast). Various studies have sought to understand the effects of these inflammatory cytokines and how to modulate their harmful effects through the consumption of certain types of foods. Dried fruit (such as almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts), fish oil, and berries are all foods rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances. The right balance of proteins and carbohydrates within a single meal activates signals that regulate the absorption of sugars and carbohydrates. In the case of breakfast, a nervous signal is activated that reaches the command nuclei of the thyroid, making it function correctly or not.

Breakfast serves to regulate metabolism, as well as to stimulate the consumption of body fat by activating the lipolysis of adipose deposits present in the body. Furthermore, it actively contributes to creating new lean mass in those who are underweight or have little of it.

 

HOW TO START THE DAY WELL: A WEEK OF BREAKFASTS THAT REACTIVATE THE METABOLISM

• Citrus juice or seasonal fruit, ricotta (100 grams) spread on 3-4 amaranth, rice or quinoa crackers (or on 30 grams of rye bread) with a little sugar-free jam (preferably blueberry, lemon or bitter orange), 3 walnuts or 4-5 almonds.

• 1 pot of yogurt or 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk with 30 grams of unsweetened bran sticks, 1 teaspoon of shelled hemp seeds or flax seeds (flax seeds should be ground into a powder) and a few coconut flakes (alternatively, opt for dried apple, 2-3 dried plums or fresh blueberries/blackberries/currants/strawberries/cherries/apricots).

• Thick smoothie with 150ml of rice or almond milk, half a banana, a little cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of oat, quinoa or millet flakes.
  Continue breakfast with rooibos tea or green tea, a berry fruit salad, 150 ml of natural unsweetened coconut milk and 5 almonds.

• Barley coffee with 150 ml of skimmed milk (soy if intolerant or vegan), 3 wholemeal rusks with 3 teaspoons of sugar-free blueberry jam, 100 grams of apricots and 5 almonds.

• Barley coffee or rooibos tea, 50 grams of wholemeal bread with 3 teaspoons of sugar-free blueberry jam, a plain Greek yogurt with 0% fat (soy if intolerant), 100 grams of raspberries or blueberries and 5 almonds.

• Rooibos tea, a slice of homemade cake or a muffin, an apple, a natural low-fat yogurt (soy if intolerant) with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds.

• Smoothie with 100 grams of blueberries, half a glass of milk (soy if intolerant) with 2 tablespoons of oat flakes, 1 tablespoon of sunflower or flax seeds. Finish breakfast with green tea.

 

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