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Celebrate 'Better Breakfast Month' With Tips From Dr. Shilpi Agarwal

STUDIO CITY (KCAL9) — September is Better Breakfast Month!

Dr. Shilpi Agarwal stopped by KCAL9 Friday to give some tips on how to create a healthier lifestyle.

The three most important reasons to eat breakfast:

  1. Helps you focus and gives you energy throughout the day
  2. Helps you maintain a healthy weight- studies show in those trying to lose weight that breakfast eaters lost more weight and maintained it than breakfast skippers
  3. Gives our metabolism a boost

 

What should you look for in a breakfast?

  1. Protein to keep us full
  2. Complex carbs
  3. Fiber to help digestion and bowel health

 

What to avoid:

  1. Sugary cereals and pastries because we get hungry soon after. It also spikes up blood sugar (will have an example of a product on the demo table)
  2. Skipping breakfast-22% of those who skipped breakfast are obese
  3. Processed foods

 

Criteria to look for when buying store-bought products for the days you can't make breakfast:

  • Portability — Common concern is "I don't have time." If you purchase something ready-made, you have no excuse to skip out on breakfast
  • Protein — A breakfast item with great source of protein to keep us full
  • Taste — Salty or sweet options so everyone's taste buds are happy
  • Coffee — Most coffee drinks have sweeteners with high fructose corn syrup and add so many empty calories. There are low cal options available at the grocery stores with natural sweetener and no extra sugar
  • Fiber — Cereals have high fiber content which not only helps us lose weight but also studies show high fiber diets help the heart and colon

Easy at home options:

  • Yogurt with granola packed with protein and low in calories, high in vitamin c and calcium

For more information, click here.

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