In honor of National Nutrition Month, we invite you to take the five-week challenge with us! 

Cathleen Cooper, wellness director at Aultman Hospital, has come up with a nutrition challenge for each week in March. 

Our week one challenge: Eat a healthy breakfast every day this week.

We have all heard that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day.” The research supports what may have been our parents’ final nagging words as we walked out the door for school, “Did you eat breakfast?” Those words seem to repeat over and over as we get older. Listen carefully – because your parents were right!

Research presents the following benefits from eating a healthy breakfast:

• Improved memory and attention, which leads to an overall better performance. 
• Lower BMI.
• Less chance of overeating later in the day and/or evening.
• Improved mood.
• Sustained cognition.
• More likely to make better food choices at meals and snacks.
• More focus.
• Reduced risk for heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
• Help with weight management.
• Improved energy level from getting a variety of nutrients.

If you typically skip breakfast, it will take about two – three weeks to reset the appetite routine. After a few weeks of eating breakfast, you should notice a boost in energy and fewer problems with overeating later in the day or evening.

When planning a healthy breakfast, remember to include a combination of the following three items: 1) a fruit; 2) a high-fiber food – like vegetables, whole-grain bread, high-fiber cereal, oatmeal or flax seed; and 3) a protein – like egg, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, tofu, pumpkin seeds, nuts or natural nut butters. Need some ideas? Try a healthy kefir smoothie with spinach, pineapple, flaxseeds and nuts. Make a spinach, onion, egg, feta and salsa breakfast burrito. Or make a breakfast parfait with your favorite fruit, low-fat yogurt and nuts.

Now you have some ideas and the information you need to take on this week’s challenge. Good luck!

Submitted by: Cathleen Cooper, wellness director, Diabetes Education and Outpatient Nutrition Services, Aultman Health Foundation