The Most Important Meal Of The Day Persuasive Speech

Persuasive Speech

Name: Sophia Liu
Specific Purpose: To persuade the members of my audience to eat a healthy breakfast every day.
Thesis Statement: Eating a healthy breakfast everyday could reduce the risk of health related issues.
Organizational Pattern: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

I. Introduction
A. Attention Getter
1. How many of you have ever heard the saying, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”?
B. Introduce Topic and Motivate Audience
1. Chances are, you have probably been introduced to this expression at a young age. Yet, according to a survey by the NPD Group (an American research company), 31 million Americans do not eat breakfast. 28% of males ages 18-34 years old and 18% of females ages 18-34 years old skip this
“most important meal of the day”.
C. Establish Credibility
1. Breakfast is a part of my morning routine and usually after eating breakfast, I find it easier to concentrate on the tasks that I face throughout the morning. Through the research that I have done, I have found that there are additional benefits that can come from eating breakfast every day.
D. Thesis Statement
1. By eating a healthy breakfast every day, you could reduce the risk of health related issues.
E. Preview of Main Points
1.
Today, I will discuss the needs of eating a healthy breakfast, types of healthy breakfast foods that you can eat, and what mental benefits could come from eating a healthy breakfast.

II. Body
A. Need: Skipping breakfast can have a negative impact on your health.
1. Breakfast is needed to break the overnight fast that occurs in the duration from your last meal to when you wake up.
a. As you are sleeping, your body continues to burn energy. Since you are not eating while you are sleeping, your body uses the energy that is already stored. Eating breakfast would refuel your body.
2. By skipping breakfast, the likelihood of indulging yourself in unhealthy snacks later on in the day increases.
a. There was a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which observed the breakfast patterns of several thousand Australians during their childhood and during their adulthood 20 years later. The study found those participants who skipped breakfast both in childhood and adulthood were heavier, had higher LDL cholesterol levels, and had less healthy diets than those participants who ate breakfast both in childhood and adulthood.
b. Your body needs the fuel that comes from eating foods. However, by preventing your body from obtaining that fuel, your brain goes through different measures to try to get food into your
system.
1. One way that your brain may try to get you to eat food is by increasing your cravings for sugar, carbs, and fat.
c. As a result of skipping breakfast, your hunger levels may be increased and that could result in a higher intake of food in order to satisfy your higher hunger levels.
d. The combination of cravings for sugar, carbs, and fat and the higher intake of amount of food would lead to the appealing temptation of eating whatever you find throughout the day.
e. In a study done by the American Journal of Epidemiology, the results showed that those who skipped breakfast were 4.5 times more likely to be obese.
3. Eating breakfast every morning would not only reduce the risk for obesity, but it could also reduce the risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.
a. There were two studies on the benefits of eating breakfast on a regular basis published by Harvard University. One was a six year study by the Harvard Health Professionals and the other one was a ten year study by the Harvard nurses.
1. The studies found that the heart attack risk was reduced by 41% in men and by 47% in women.
2. The risk for stroke was reduced by 31%.
3. The risk for diabetes was reduced by 38%.
4. Transition
a. Now that I’ve discussed the health risks that can stem from not eating breakfast, I will now discuss how you can make a change in your morning routine to lower those risks.
B.
Satisfaction/Solution Step: If we all make a healthy breakfast a part of our daily routine, our risk for health related problems in the future can be reduced.
1. You can make a change in your lifestyle by putting in the time and effort to have a healthy breakfast in the morning every day.
2. However, the food that you consume for breakfast matters just as much as whether or not you are eating breakfast.
3. Health experts advise eating a well-balanced breakfast that slowly delivers energy throughout the morning.
4. Dr. David S. Ludwig, a nutrition expert at Children’s Hospital Boston, as well as other nutritionists say that a good breakfast should include some carbohydrates with fiber, some lean protein sources, and some healthy fats.
a. Some foods that you can eat to get carbohydrates with fiber are whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
b. Foods that you can eat for lean protein are eggs and yogurt.
c. Nuts and salmon can be a source for healthy fats.
5. Eating a healthy breakfast would replenish your body with the nutrients needed and balance your blood glucose levels.
6. Transition
a. Now that I’ve discussed what types of food you can eat for a healthy breakfast, I will now discuss additional benefits that can come from eating a healthy breakfast
regularly.
C. Visualization: Eating a healthy breakfast could provide mental benefits.
1. At the University of Milan, scientists reviewed 15 studies and found that eating breakfast can have the benefits of enhancing memory, attention, the speed of processing information, reasoning, creativity, learning, and verbal abilities. The study showed that these benefits could be a result from the steady glucose levels that are obtained through eating breakfast.
2. Upon waking up, your glucose levels are normally lower. The drop in glucose levels also causes your energy level to drop. By eating breakfast, the glucose levels would be replenished.
a. Low blood glucose levels could affect your ability to concentrate and perform mental tasks.
b. The low blood glucose levels could contribute to fatigue or irritability.
3. All these benefits that could come from eating a healthy breakfast everyday can only be achieved if you take action and put in the effort to eat a healthy breakfast every day.

III. Conclusion
A. Restate Thesis and Main Points
1. Today, I discussed the risks that could arise from not eating breakfast, provided some types of food that you can eat for a healthy breakfast, and discussed some benefits that can come from eating a healthy breakfast.
B. Concluding Device
1. I encourage you all to make a healthy breakfast part of your morning routine.
2. A sheet of paper with links to some quick, healthy breakfast recipes will be coming around the room.
3. Thank you all for listening!