Dear Lydia
Dear Lydia,
I don’t like having breakfast in the mornings; I always feel full. My parents nag me to eat but I don’t want too! Is that bad? (Ella 16)
Dear Ella,
Thanks for your question! I’m glad you asked because breakfast is a really important meal; in fact, a lot of health experts say it’s the most important. The word “breakfast” comes from “break” and “fast” meaning during the night your body goes through a fast from no nutrient intake, then in the morning you’re supposed to break it. If you don’t, your body continues to fast and then will likely go into “starvation mode” where your body thinks it’s starving from lack of nutrition and will try to store as many calories as it can the next meal you eat.
Often times when we don’t eat breakfast at the right time we don’t get time to eat properly until lunch. Then, by the time you get to eat you’re absolutely starving and this makes you more prone to binge eating (eating way too much or eating foods that are bad for you).
In addition to this, fasting for too long can lead to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Symptoms of this are:
- Can’t concentrate
- Feeling grumpy
- Tiredness
- Headaches
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shaky
- Nervousness
The best thing you can do if you don’t feel hungry in the mornings is have a breakfast smoothie or shake instead of solid food. That way you can wiz up a bunch of healthy, delicious ingredients in a second and drink it slowly at your own pace. This is what I do most mornings.
My favorite breakfast shake at the moment is made from some frozen mangoes and raspberries, an Up & Go and some protein power. But there are so many other options you can mix and match until you find your favorite combination.
When I first met my husband he couldn’t eat breakfast. As an alternative to shakes he started small and worked his way up to a fuller breakfast. It didn’t feel good to eat when he didn’t feel like it but after a short time his body got used to eating breakfast and changed.
Give them both a shot and see how you go.
Dear Lydia
Dear Lydia
Why is my period always irregular? It can come at any time of the month and lasts about 5-7 days.
(Haylee 15)
Hi Haylee! Thanks for your question. Everyone’s period can be a little different and what is normal and what is not can be surprisingly different from person to person. Irregular periods can be frustrating to deal with. Lifestyle factors usually play a major role in period regularity. Here are a few to be aware of:
- Extreme exercise
- Extreme weight loss
- Poor nutrition choices (high in sugars)
- Stimulants like caffeine, alcohol or smoking
If kept up long enough, these factors can actually make your brain not able to send proper signals for normal ovulation. If you can fix irregularities by changing your lifestyle choices this is ideal, however, not all cases can be solved this way.
Other reasons which are more out of our control include stress, illness or a hormonal imbalance.
The best thing to do is to see your Doctor; they will be able to confirm for sure if your cycle is irregular. He/she will see what the underlying cause is and talk to you about the different ways to help solve this issue. Once they find a way to help, you will be more at ease and not worry why this is happening.
I hope this helps
(Response given by nutritionist and fitness coach Lydia)
Dear GIGI
Dear GIGI,
I really like a guy at church and I think he likes me back. We sit together sometimes and he always comes and talks to me after church. We went bowling after church one night and he asked me to be in his group! I was super excited and I squealed all the way to the bowling alley. Anyways, my mum noticed that he likes me too and she has told me that I’m not allowed to date because I’m too young! I’m 14 and I DON’T think I’m too youngL it makes me really mad what they think. Besides, I don’t want to lose him. I don’t know what to do! (Jess 14)
Dear sweet girl,
It is the very nicest thing to meet a boy you like and then to find he likes you, too! Certainly something to squeal aboutJ.
You are at the very start of getting to know guys and so it is very important to get to know as many different ones as you can. You will get to know what you like in a guy and what you don’t like and in this way, when you are ready to date, you will have a better idea of what qualities you really value in a friendship. Your mum is right, 14 is too young to commit to one guy (especially when there are so many nice ones out there). Now is the time to have lots of fun in a group and to have many friends, both boys and girls. And, if this guy turns out to be THE ONE, well, then having a really good friendship with him will be an excellent foundation for dating later on. I know parents can sometimes seem as though they are spoiling your fun, but in this case, don’t waste your energy on being mad at your mum, rather focus on making this exciting time of your life a time when you build many friendships.
In God’s grace and love,
GIGI
(Response given by a Clinical Psychologist)
