Breakfast
Why have breakfast every morning?
Breakfast is a fundamental and essential meal, which should cover around 20%-25% of your daily energy requirements.
There are many people who forget this.
But skipping breakfast means forcing your body to fast for over 12 hours, while your body needs an energy recharge before starting the day.
By having breakfast every morning:
-you avoid hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level)
-you promote the memorisation and learning process
-you avoid 11 o'clock hunger pangs and snacking between meals
-you avoid overeating in the day's other meals
-you and your children gain some free time, when you can choose exactly what you want to eat
For whom is it important?
For everyone, from the youngest to the oldest!
The ideal is to have it together as a family. Finding time to share the first meal of the day in a calm and peaceful place provides you, besides the nutritional benefits, with a bit of quality time and relaxation that is so important for starting the day.
What should I do if I am dieting?
Watch out for false ideas!
Missing breakfast in the morning is not associated with more rapid weight loss. In fact, when you go without breakfast, general food intake tends to be richer in fats, especially in saturated fats, which lead to a dietary imbalance and therefore weight gain.
Whether or not you are dieting, we recommend having breakfast every morning.
A quick glance at breakfasts in Europe.
Whereas breakfast for the French, Spanish and Portuguese essentially comprises bread or brioche and butter with a coffee, hot chocolate or tea, the British have completely different habits.
A British breakfast contains cereals, bacon and eggs, fried sausage, kippers or haddock with buttered toast and marmalade or lemon jam, accompanied by traditional tea.
Greeks are keen on coffee with toast, followed by fruit, yoghurt and sometimes a cheese or meat pasty.
Scandinavians (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) have no hesitation in adding a touch of fish to the first meal of the day.
They prefer smoked fish (herring) with cream or onion accompanied with coffee or tea, and buttered bread and sausage or cheese, as well as jam.
With their fondness for wholegrain bread, Germans and Austrians eat black bread with sausage or thin slices of cheese, light coffee or tea with milk, accompanied by fruit juice and yoghurt.
And finally the Italians take their famous cappuccino with bread, brioche or pastries.
4 essential elements to have at breakfast time
1) Starch intake:
Examples:
Cereals, preferably wholegrain,
Bread, preferably wholegrain,
Accompanied by:
Butter and rapeseed oil mix,
Jam, honey, maple syrup, etc.
Roles:
Starches are sources of sugar, the number one fuel used by the body and muscles, but also of group B vitamins and fibres.
Fibres, as well as facilitating intestinal transit, slow down the digestion of sugars and thereby extend the time interval before you feel hungry again.
The butter and rapeseed oil mix increases the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for good cardiovascular function.
Note: Rapeseed oil can be kept for around 2 months, and should be kept in a cool and dark place (refrigerator).
2) Dairy products intake
Examples:
Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yoghurt, etc.
Roles:
Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, essential for growth and skeletal strength.
They also contain high quality proteins, vitamins A, D, and group B that keep the body healthy.
If you take milk, go for semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, this will reduce your calorie, saturated fat and cholesterol intakes without losing out on the sources of calcium, proteins and vitamin B2.
If you eat cheeses, you should know that their fat content, particularly in terms of saturated fat, varies considerably from one cheese to another. Hard cooked cheeses (Comté, Emmenthal, Parmesan) or hard uncooked cheeses (Cantal, Edam, Tome de Savoie) are higher in fat than soft cheeses (Camembert, Brie, Reblochon), which are in turn higher in fat than cottage cheeses.
Of the cottage cheeses, it is the ones made from skimmed milk that contain the least fat. If you eat cottage cheese, go for the 0% or 20% fat types.
The harder the cheese is, the greater its calcium content. It is beneficial to vary your sources of cheese through the week.
The nutritional values of yoghurts vary according to the types of bacteria added. Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria, for example, make excellent intestinal disinfectants.
Just as with milk, go for low-fat yoghurts. If you like fruit yoghurts, add fresh fruits to your natural yoghurt, rather than consuming fruit or flavoured yoghurts.
3) Vitamin intake: fresh fruit
Examples:
The fruit you go for is not important, the main thing is to have at least 3 portions a day.
Roles:
Fruits are rich in vitamins, mineral salts and fibres, they are excellent antioxidants.
To keep the nutritional values of fruits, keep them in the refrigerator, handle them as little as possible, wash them in running water, cut and stem them at the last moment and keep the skin on if possible.
4) Water intake: hot or cold drinks
Examples:
Coffee, tea, water, fresh fruit juice
Roles:
60%-70% of our body is made of water. Water intake in the morning is essential.
If you experience gastric pain when drinking tea or coffee, have herbal teas or plain water instead.
A few “typical” examples
As for the other meals, nutritional intake at breakfast must be in line with your requirements, weight, size, age and physical activity...
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + lightly buttered bread with jam, preferably rich in fructose + low-fat cottage cheese + kiwi fruit
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + wholegrain bread + banana + low-fat yoghurt + mandarin
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + fermented milk + slice of gingerbread + apple
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + calcium rich cereal bar + banana
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + wholegrain cereal with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk + orange
* Hot chocolate with skimmed milk (cocoa without sugar) + wholegrain buttered bread with a butter/rapeseed oil mix + orange juice
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + bread and cheese + tomato juice
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + vegetable omelette (eggs enriched with omega-3) + wholegrain bread + freshly squeezed orange juice, etc.
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + toasted wholegrain bread + egg (enriched with omega-3) + fruit salad
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + herring + toast + kiwi
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + wholegrain cereals + piece of goats' cheese + grapefruit
Breakfast is a fundamental and essential meal, which should cover around 20%-25% of your daily energy requirements.
There are many people who forget this.
But skipping breakfast means forcing your body to fast for over 12 hours, while your body needs an energy recharge before starting the day.
By having breakfast every morning:
-you avoid hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level)
-you promote the memorisation and learning process
-you avoid 11 o'clock hunger pangs and snacking between meals
-you avoid overeating in the day's other meals
-you and your children gain some free time, when you can choose exactly what you want to eat
For whom is it important?
For everyone, from the youngest to the oldest!
The ideal is to have it together as a family. Finding time to share the first meal of the day in a calm and peaceful place provides you, besides the nutritional benefits, with a bit of quality time and relaxation that is so important for starting the day.
What should I do if I am dieting?
Watch out for false ideas!
Missing breakfast in the morning is not associated with more rapid weight loss. In fact, when you go without breakfast, general food intake tends to be richer in fats, especially in saturated fats, which lead to a dietary imbalance and therefore weight gain.
Whether or not you are dieting, we recommend having breakfast every morning.
A quick glance at breakfasts in Europe.
Whereas breakfast for the French, Spanish and Portuguese essentially comprises bread or brioche and butter with a coffee, hot chocolate or tea, the British have completely different habits.
A British breakfast contains cereals, bacon and eggs, fried sausage, kippers or haddock with buttered toast and marmalade or lemon jam, accompanied by traditional tea.
Greeks are keen on coffee with toast, followed by fruit, yoghurt and sometimes a cheese or meat pasty.
Scandinavians (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) have no hesitation in adding a touch of fish to the first meal of the day.
They prefer smoked fish (herring) with cream or onion accompanied with coffee or tea, and buttered bread and sausage or cheese, as well as jam.
With their fondness for wholegrain bread, Germans and Austrians eat black bread with sausage or thin slices of cheese, light coffee or tea with milk, accompanied by fruit juice and yoghurt.
And finally the Italians take their famous cappuccino with bread, brioche or pastries.
4 essential elements to have at breakfast time
1) Starch intake:
Examples:
Cereals, preferably wholegrain,
Bread, preferably wholegrain,
Accompanied by:
Butter and rapeseed oil mix,
Jam, honey, maple syrup, etc.
Roles:
Starches are sources of sugar, the number one fuel used by the body and muscles, but also of group B vitamins and fibres.
Fibres, as well as facilitating intestinal transit, slow down the digestion of sugars and thereby extend the time interval before you feel hungry again.
The butter and rapeseed oil mix increases the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for good cardiovascular function.
Note: Rapeseed oil can be kept for around 2 months, and should be kept in a cool and dark place (refrigerator).
2) Dairy products intake
Examples:
Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yoghurt, etc.
Roles:
Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, essential for growth and skeletal strength.
They also contain high quality proteins, vitamins A, D, and group B that keep the body healthy.
If you take milk, go for semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, this will reduce your calorie, saturated fat and cholesterol intakes without losing out on the sources of calcium, proteins and vitamin B2.
If you eat cheeses, you should know that their fat content, particularly in terms of saturated fat, varies considerably from one cheese to another. Hard cooked cheeses (Comté, Emmenthal, Parmesan) or hard uncooked cheeses (Cantal, Edam, Tome de Savoie) are higher in fat than soft cheeses (Camembert, Brie, Reblochon), which are in turn higher in fat than cottage cheeses.
Of the cottage cheeses, it is the ones made from skimmed milk that contain the least fat. If you eat cottage cheese, go for the 0% or 20% fat types.
The harder the cheese is, the greater its calcium content. It is beneficial to vary your sources of cheese through the week.
The nutritional values of yoghurts vary according to the types of bacteria added. Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria, for example, make excellent intestinal disinfectants.
Just as with milk, go for low-fat yoghurts. If you like fruit yoghurts, add fresh fruits to your natural yoghurt, rather than consuming fruit or flavoured yoghurts.
3) Vitamin intake: fresh fruit
Examples:
The fruit you go for is not important, the main thing is to have at least 3 portions a day.
Roles:
Fruits are rich in vitamins, mineral salts and fibres, they are excellent antioxidants.
To keep the nutritional values of fruits, keep them in the refrigerator, handle them as little as possible, wash them in running water, cut and stem them at the last moment and keep the skin on if possible.
4) Water intake: hot or cold drinks
Examples:
Coffee, tea, water, fresh fruit juice
Roles:
60%-70% of our body is made of water. Water intake in the morning is essential.
If you experience gastric pain when drinking tea or coffee, have herbal teas or plain water instead.
A few “typical” examples
As for the other meals, nutritional intake at breakfast must be in line with your requirements, weight, size, age and physical activity...
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + lightly buttered bread with jam, preferably rich in fructose + low-fat cottage cheese + kiwi fruit
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + wholegrain bread + banana + low-fat yoghurt + mandarin
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + fermented milk + slice of gingerbread + apple
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + calcium rich cereal bar + banana
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + wholegrain cereal with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk + orange
* Hot chocolate with skimmed milk (cocoa without sugar) + wholegrain buttered bread with a butter/rapeseed oil mix + orange juice
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + bread and cheese + tomato juice
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + vegetable omelette (eggs enriched with omega-3) + wholegrain bread + freshly squeezed orange juice, etc.
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + toasted wholegrain bread + egg (enriched with omega-3) + fruit salad
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + herring + toast + kiwi
* Coffee, tea, infusion or water + wholegrain cereals + piece of goats' cheese + grapefruit
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