Article: Never skip breakfast because it sets the energy standard for the rest of the day. Make healthy food choices such as wholegrain breads and cereals, fruits, and yogurt, to provide you with sustained energy for the morning. Eating breakfast helps you to feel less tempted to resort to unhealthy food choices at lunchtime and increases your physical and mental well-being throughout the day. Good breakfast choices include: Cereal with skim milk and a piece of fresh fruit. Two slices of whole wheat toast topped with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a banana. A multigrain bagel topped with a scrambled egg and a slice of low-fat cheese and a glass of orange juice. Most fast food is junk food, packed full of fats, sugars, salts, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. It tastes great on the spot and it feels like an energy boost but it has filled you with calories that lack nutrients, and is a very unhealthy fuel for your body. Choose a bright green salad with lean protein for lunch to avoid severe energy drop in the afternoon. Drink a cup of green tea with a piece of dark chocolate. If you must get your lunch from a fast food place, choose items that are baked or broiled instead of fried and skip the French fries. As delicious as buns, croissants, muffins, and cakes are, as well as a pasta meal, these are all energy slump-inducers in disguise. Gabe Mirkin, MD, recommends avoiding pastries, pasta, and baked goods if you want to stay awake, as their high flour and sugar content will bring on drowsiness. Choosing unprocessed over processed or refined foods is a guaranteed healthier way to feeling better after lunch. Instead of choosing processed foods and starchy sides, make sure that your lunch is balanced and healthy. Opt for a lunch that features veggies as the main attraction, and also includes a serving of whole grains and lean protein. Build high energy lunches with the following food types: Sprouts, green beans, lettuce, mustard greens, radicchio, bok choy, sea vegetables, cabbage, mushrooms, radishes, celery, avocado, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, summer squash, zucchini, bamboo shoots, onions, tomatoes, artichokes, carrots, water chestnuts, pumpkin, etc. Whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat crackers, bulgur wheat, quinoa, etc. Chickpeas, egg, chicken breast, tuna, tofu, turkey breast, etc. A large meal takes more effort to digest, so it is more likely to make you feel drowsy. Instead of eating large lunches, eat a smaller meals throughout the day. Balance a small lunch with mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks so that you get all of your recommended calories throughout the day. If you plan to try eating small meals throughout the day, make sure that you don't go more than three hours without eating. Good snacks to reach for mid-afternoon are those that won't deplete your energy but will boost it. Avoid the temptation to fuel yourself on a chocolate bar and choose a piece of fruit, some crackers with low-fat string cheese, or a handful of almonds instead.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Eat a good breakfast. Choose healthy lunches over high fat lunches and fast food. Stick to whole grains and avoid processed sugar and flour. Eat a complex-carbohydrate, high-protein lunch. Eat less. Eat healthy mid-afternoon snacks.