Why Baseball Pitchers Need To Eat Breakfast

Continuing on our theme of preparing a pitcher for competition, following a sufficient night's sleep a pitcher needs to "fuel his fastball" by eating a healthy breakfast. The following bullets are from a number of sources, including Lifespan hospitals, Robert Yang and Dr. Tom House:

* Breakfast restores sugar levels after up to 12 hours of not eating.

* It is extremely difficult to get all of your necessary daily nutrients without breakfast.

* People who skip breakfast are less mentally and physically efficient for longer periods during the day.

* People who eat breakfast are more successful at losing weight and sticking to a diet.

* Athletes who skip breakfast train less effectively.

* Eating breakfast can raise metabolism by as much as 10 percent.

* People who eat breakfast regularly are more likely to rate their health as "excellent" or "good."

* Eating breakfast has been shown to increase concentration.

* Eating a bigger meal in the morning and a smaller meal at night optimizes your daily energy levels.

* When on the go or headed to practice, a food bar with 40/30/30 (carbs, protein, fat) is a smart, balanced choice.

So what, exactly, goes into building a balanced breakfast? For starters, breakfast should provide at least one quarter of the calories you need for the entire day. Most nutritionists agree that a good breakfast contains the following ingredients: at least one serving of fiber, at least one fruit and/or vegetable, milk or another source of calcium, and protein, i.e., from meat, cheese or egg.