8 Health Reasons You Should Never Skip Breakfast

Breakfast is a very important part of our diet. If you are in habit of skipping your breakfast, here are some very important reasons why you should not.

Break-the-fast, after going hours without food you, finally get up in the morning and need lots of energy to kick start the day. Only breakfast can provide you with this energy.

If you’re of those who’re still not having your breakfast, now is the time to change that habit. Here are some extremely important reasons why!

Why you should never avoid breakfast

1. Breakfast improves your metabolism:

Your blood sugar level drops down in the morning. You need food that can provide you energy to get through the morning. Body needs fuel to keep it running and the night is the longest gap in the refueling process. To make sure your metabolism keeps on going you need to have something within 2 hours of waking up.

2. Keeps you on track if you’re looking to lose weight:

Researchers have found that those who eat breakfast tend to maintain and lose weight. Though people skip breakfast in the hope of losing weight they tend to eat more during lunch or even choose unhealthier options later on which results into weight gain.

3. Helps to maintain insulin response:

Skipping meals leads to a hyper insulin response when calories are consumed later on. That means the level of insulin in blood is more than the glucose level which can lead to metabolic disorder. This in turn results in to fat accumulation.

Quick & Healthy Breakfast Ideas

"A healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” says Dr Jyothi Prasad, chief dietitian, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore.“There’s a nearly ten-hour long gap between dinner and breakfast, during which the body is on fast mode. As the name suggests, breakfast is the meal you eat to break that fast,” explains Dr Prasad, “It refuels your body with essential nutrients to kick-start your day. So don’t skip it.”

4. Helps perform better at work/school:

Hungry employees and students don’t do any good at work/school. When you are hungry you are irritable and disinterested which reflects on your work too. Breakfast helps you to wake up and makes you attentive.

5. Burns those calories early:

If you have breakfast you can burn those calories early! How is that? Well, instead of going hungry till lunch and then hogging on something loaded with calories with fewer hours left in the day to burn it consider refuelling yourself early and getting enough time to burn those calories.

6. Aids in setting a good example:

If you have kids, you always want to set a good example for them. By having breakfast on time you will show the quality of leadership by example.

7. Gets you your essential nutrients first thing in the morning:

There are food which we have only as a part of our breakfast like cereals, fruits and milk. If you bypass your breakfast you might never get those nutrients.

8. Skipping breakfast can make you grumpy:

Oh yes! If you have been skipping breakfast and are in bad mood, you probably should know why. Not having breakfast makes you grouchy. You might not even realize it and keep wondering why you’re so irritable!

Apart from all these reasons to have your breakfast there are few things you should always keep in mind:

• Never have dessert for breakfast, it will cause blood sugar loss later on and you will be tempted to eat even more.
• Read the labels carefully, even if it says ‘nutritious’ look into the details and understand if your body needs that kind of food to start the day.

Stay full, stay happy!

By Mdhil | Mdhil – Mon, Jun 18, 2012

How to survive an asthma attack if you’re caught without your inhaler

What to do when there is no inhaler? If you have asthma, you probably never go anywhere without your inhaler. But what if, due to negligence, you go out without it and have a sudden asthma attack?

"The importance of always carrying rescue medication cannot be understated", says associate professor Loo Chian Min, head and senior consultant, Department of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Singapore General Hospital (SGH). "It is absolutely vital that you don't forget your inhaler wherever you go."

What happens during an asthma attack
Asthma occurs when the airways (bronchial tubes) in the lungs become inflamed and are blocked by mucus, making breathing difficult. The chest tightens and the lungs seem to produce a wheezing sound.

There could be many triggers for an asthma attack.Air pollution, exposure to irritants such as dust, cigarette smoke and pet dander, physical exertion and emotional outbursts can all trigger an asthma attack.

Six things to do if caught without an inhaler during an asthma attack
"Never, ever let up on your asthma medications even if you feel your condition has improved," says Loo. Asthma needs constant care and proper management at all times. Your very life depends on it.

However, should you be caught without your inhaler due to unforeseen circumstances, you could try these coping techniques:

• Sit upright

Stop whatever you are doing and sit upright. Bending over or lying down can constrict your breathing even more.

• Take long, deep breaths

This helps to slow down your breathing and prevent hyperventilation. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.

• Stay calm

Staying calm may prevent further tightening of your chest muscles and make your breathing easier.

• Get away from the trigger

The asthma attack could be triggered by dust, cigarette smoke or the smell of chemicals (e.g., ammonia, chlorine gas, sulphur dioxide). Get away from the trigger as soon as possible and go to an air-conditioned environment or any place with clean air.

• Take a hot caffeinated beverage

Hot caffeinated drinks like coffee can help to open up the airways slightly, providing some relief for an hour or two.

• Seek emergency medical help

If the wheezing, coughing and breathing difficulty do not subside after a period of rest, seek immediate medical attention.

Symptoms of an asthma attack
An asthma attack can be mild or severe. Be alert for these general symptoms:

• Difficulty breathing/breathlessness
• Wheezing
• Tightness in the chest
• Coughing

If you experience severe breathing difficulty, a rapid increase in your pulse rate, severe coughing, and notice that your nails and lips are turning bluish, get medical help immediately, as these are signs of a severe asthma attack.

Treatment of asthma
Doctors treat asthma with a combination of long-term and quick-relief medications, and medications to treat allergy-induced asthma.

Long-term medications include:

• inhaled corticosteroids to reduce inflammation of the bronchial tubes,
• bronchodilators to open up the airways and
• leukotriene modifiers to reduce both airway inflammation and mucus production.

Quick-relief medications are prescribed to cope with sudden asthma attacks. These are inhaled medications such as Ipratropium (Atrovent) and Albuterol. They relax the airway muscles temporarily to make breathing easier.

Asthma inhalers are the asthma sufferer's mobile medical kit. The inhalers deliver medication directly to the lungs for immediate relief during a sudden asthma attack.

"Go and see a doctor even if you have recovered from an asthma attack. Asthma attacks are signs that your asthma is not well-controlled. You may need stronger medication for a worsening asthmatic condition," says Loo.

This article was written by Teresa Cheong for Health Xchange, with expert input from the Department of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Singapore General Hospital.

Info : http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post-health/survive-asthma-attack-caught-without-inhaler-123121299.html