Counseling Sheet

Not by Agatha Thrash, M.D.

Breakfast is such a happy family time. It is worth tucking in a little earlier at night to start the day together. And the difference it will make in all of you!

The family that starts the day without a good breakfast has been described as

• "the irritable and fretful youngster,"
• "the inattentive and nervous school child,"
• "the pepless and uncooperative teenager,"
• "the exhausted, nagging housewife,"
• "the tired and harassed husband,"
• "the ill and frail person."

A breakfast that is composed of unrefined foods and equals 1/3 to 1/2 of your food intake for the day will also have the following benefits:

• Increased sense of well-being
• Better work performance: a) Studies prove this true for school children; b) Factory-worker studies show fewer accidents
• Less desire to overeat later on in the day
• Decreased desire to eat between meals
• Better weight control
• Better disposition (best of all)

When you go for a trip, when do you put gas in the car? Before you start off or after you get there? And so, before we begin our day's journey, we need fuel to go on.

"But I don't feel like eating in the morning," I'm often told. What then?

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‍Number one secret

‍An exhausted empty tummy never feels like a kingly breakfast. Your stomach needs to sleep all night! Unless your last meal has been completely digested before you go to bed, your stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas have to keep working. And (with the exception of the bowels) these organs need rest as much as your muscles, eyes, and brain need it!

The lighter the meal in the evening, the better. And plan it several hours before going to bed. You will be rewarded by a healthier digestive system—healthy enough to feel like breakfast.

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‍Another secret

Isn't it refreshing to wash your face and brush your teeth (or take a hot and cold shower) in the morning?

Your stomach likes that, too.

After all, it needs it after all the food it handles. Two glasses of warm water 20-30 minutes or more before breakfast will not only give you a good start on your quota of water for the day, but will refresh and prepare your digestive organs for a healthy breakfast.

If you aren't used to it, start with just one-half glass for the first couple of days; increase gradually.

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‍Suggestions

‍After 12 or more hours without food, our bodies need renewed energy and replenishing of nutrients so that all the body functions can be carried out properly. Stamina and strength for the day's activities can be obtained in no other way but to start with a good breakfast.