Eating a nutritious breakfast can help, but many Britons aren’t optimising their first meal of the day, according to new research.
A Meridian Foods’ survey discovered that half spend fewer than ten minutes on breakfast, while one in ten don’t eat it at all.
“Skipping breakfast or choosing a less than optimal breakfast to fill rather than nourish increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies impacting both wellbeing and performance,” said Helen Money, nutritionist at Meridian.
Muscle gain diet: Nut butter is packed with protein and other important nutrients
“A nourishing breakfast does not have to be time consuming, just stirring nut butter into porridge increases B vitamins, iron, magnesium and zinc all of which are needed for energy creation.”
In order to ward off muscle loss, protein should be the key ingredient in your breakfast, according to James Haskell, international rugby player and Meridian sporting ambassador.
He said: “Protein is essential for repairing and rebuilding muscle broken down when exercising.
“I personally include nut butters as part of my breakfast routine as they’re a rich source of natural protein which helps stimulate muscle growth and helps my body recover.”
Protein can also be found in eggs, fish, yoghurt and chicken.
Diabetes
Research has found people who skip breakfast have higher glucose concentrations and markers of inflammation and insulin resistance after lunch.
According to the study by the University of Hohenheim in Germany, it causes chronic inflammation, which is known to affect insulin sensitivity, and could raise the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Five ways adding whey protein to a diet can benefit you
Muscle gain diet: Nut butter can be eaten on toast or mixed into porridge
People who eat breakfast tend to have lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association.
Weight loss
As well as helping build muscle, a breakfast high in protein can help promote weight loss.
A study by Tel Aviv University discovered that it could keep people satisfied throughout the day and prevent spikes in blood sugar.
[“Source-express”]