Burn More Fat with These Three Breakfast Foods

It seems strange to admit this now, but I have never been much of a breakfast eater.

And I can recall mornings as recent as a few months ago, where I would begin to feel desperately hungry around 10 am only to run to the bakery next to my office and fill the gap with some kind of sugary carb.

Add to that, I wasn't getting adequate sleep (a key component not just to a healthy lifestyle, but to weight loss), and was most likely dehydrated (more on water in a future blog) so that by 3 in the afternoon most days I felt hungry, unproductive, and exhausted.

I lived life that way thinking it was an age thing rather than lifestyle related.

But after five weeks of getting enough sleep, exercising everyday, drinking adequate amounts of water, and eating breakfast I am learning there is a whole new life out there of feeling energetic, alive, and - sweet Mary of the Vespers - YOUNG!

Not only do I FEEL younger, I LOOK younger too.

(People, I am just vain enough to admit - that, by itself, is enough to keep me on the straight and narrow for good.)

Because I love you all, I decided to share some more information from Real Age.com about breakfast and how to take advantage of foods that will not only help you feel more alert, they will give your body a fat burning advantage.

These foods, which have been credited with extra fat-burning and pound-dropping powers in recent studies are: eggs, yogurt, and whole-grain cereal.

How They Help

Eggs: When people on low-calorie diets ate two scrambled eggs with toast and jam for breakfast, they lost 65 percent more weight than the dieters who started their day with a bagel. The protein in eggs probably helps control appetite, so people eat less. (Try this recipe for my sweet maple sausage breakfast sandwich)

Yogurt: Calcium and other helpful compounds in yogurt may help stop fat storage and turn up fat burn. In one study, overweight people on reduced-calorie diets lost 61 percent more fat overall -- and even more belly fat -- when they ate three 6-ounce servings of yogurt every day. This was compared with the people who had no yogurt in their diets. (Short on time? Scroll to the end of the blog for my recipe for On the Go Banana Blueberry Smoothies.)

Whole-Grain Cereal: Research shows that people lose more belly fat when they replace refined-grain foods with whole grains. All the appetite-controlling fiber they pick up in the process probably accounts for the slimming effect. Plus, whole grains can help control blood sugar and lower blood pressure, and they can even reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. (Try this recipe for my cinnamon blueberry oatmeal)

Keeping all of this good news in mind, I try to vary my breakfasts to include at least one of these three foods everyday. Instead of eating the same thing every morning, having a variety of dishes to turn to keeps things interesting - a key component to sticking with it for me.

One of my favourite "go to breakfasts" on busy weekday mornings is the smoothie. The one I make is a creamy, nutrient rich, mixture of regular or soy milk, blueberries, banana, no fat Greek yogurt, and one scoop of Greens Nutra-lean Plus powder.

Just blend it up with a couple ice cubes (my trick for making smoothies nice and cold) and you've got a delicious and action packed way to start the day!

So here's to the start of a beautiful day!

Until next time everyone, be well...