Breakfast Should Be More Than a Cup
of Coffee and a Donut:
The Importance of a Good Breakfast

Since 1962, researchers at the Human Population Laboratory of the California Department of Health had studied the relationship of health to various behaviors or habits. Health and longevity are associated with the following:

• Adequate sleep (7 to 8 hours per day)
• A good breakfast
• Regular meals — avoid snacks
• Weight control
• Not smoking cigarettes
• Moderate alcohol consumption
• Regular exercise

In the California study, individuals who ate breakfast almost every day experienced better health than those who ate breakfast only some of the time.

Furthermore, a good breakfast may be a prerequisite to good performance in work and sport, says Dr. Brian J. Sharkey in his book Fitness and Health. Breakfast often comes 12 hours after the evening meal, so you can see why it is important for energy and cellular metabolism.

A few researchers suggest that breakfast should be the largest and most important meal, and everyone agrees that it should include more than a cup of coffee and a donut.