Rules maximize breakfast’s benefits

In the film “Groundhog Day,” Phil Connors (Bill Murray) declares that the upside of living the same day over and over is that he can indulge in the decadent breakfast of his dreams every day. “Don’t you worry about cholesterol, lung cancer, love handles?” asks his co-worker. “I don’t even have to floss,” he replies smugly.

That’s certainly not what nutritionists mean when they advise you to eat “the most important meal of the day.”

To gain breakfast’s health benefits, the meal should be 13-plus hours after your last one and consist of lower glycemic index foods (100 percent whole grains; no added sugars or processed carbs) and lean proteins (egg whites; broiled, skinless chicken; or salmon burgers). That’ll improve your concentration, protect healthy HDL cholesterol levels, promote lower blood pressure and help you dodge diabetes. In contrast, skipping breakfast can promote weight gain and lots of associated health risks.

A study from the University of Bath in the U.K. randomly assigned 12 men to one day of eating milk and porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast and then cycling for an hour, and another group to a day of cycling, but with no breakfast. Eating breakfast was associated with burning more carbs during the same workout.

Ticking time bomb

In the past 13 years, the number of reported tickborne diseases has more than doubled in the U.S. You may be familiar with some of them, such as Lyme disease. But, from 2004 through 2016, seven new tick-borne germs that can infect people have been identified.

Some ticks are especially fond of pets. One example is the so-called dog tick, which carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report identified a new variety — the brown dog tick — that’s sickened dogs and 4,000 people since 2008 in Mexicali, Mexico. As this critter migrates northward and indoors, it’s spreading a Rocky Mountain spotted fever infection that’s more aggressive than the standard American dog tick’s.

To protect yourself from ticks:

Use an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent (think DEET); find one at Epa.gov.

Outside, wear longsleeved shirts and long pants. Put DEET on your clothes, too.

Examine yourself when returning indoors, especiallyyourlegs.

Examine pets daily and remove ticks carefully with tweezers.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.