You were probably raised to believe, or at least heard, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That’s somewhat true for children. Studies show that the first meal of the day creates the energy for improved cognitive performance and better focus and task performance throughout the day. However, when kids reach the age of 18, it’s a toss up whether a hearty breakfast actually helps the individual and it becomes more a question of personal preference. People whose daily routine causes them to eat later at night often find they aren’t hungry for breakfast. Rule of thumb, if you want to lose weight, pay attention to your hunger pangs. Don’t eat if there aren’t any. However, be ready with a healthy snack for those times you need sustenance.
There are reasons to eat in the morning.
If your workout is in the morning, you’ll want to make sure you have something ready to eat before you continue the day. The same is true for anyone with diabetes or other chronic health conditions. The food doesn’t have to be the farmhouse breakfast of flapjacks, eggs, grits, potatoes and bacon. In fact, that’s probably what you don’t want to eat. You’re not going out to work in the fields, but going to the office. Choose healthy foods and if they aren’t traditional breakfast foods, it’s okay.
A healthy breakfast does provide a good amount of nutrients.
Even though some people can function well without eating a healthy breakfast, that doesn’t mean that a healthy breakfast doesn’t have its benefits. Not only do you get valuable nutrients, they’re spread out throughout the day. This is ideal since it sustains higher blood levels. Even though adults don’t have to perform in school, good cognitive functioning is still important. Breakfast can boost your performance. It also can give a boost to your energy level.
Some studies link a good breakfast to better health.
There are contradictory studies about breakfast, as noted previously. Some of them declare that unless you’re young, you don’t need to eat it. Others link a good breakfast to lower levels of LDL cholesterol—bad cholesterol—to a healthy breakfast. It could be the oatmeal that helps with that. Some show that it helps keep weight in check and lowers the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
- Skipping breakfast can interfere with the fasting and eating cycle of the body. It might make the difference between having the energy to think clearly or have muscle power when you to the most.
- As noted earlier, certain foods, such as oatmeal, that are relegated to breakfast may have benefits no matter when they’re eaten. If you skip breakfast, consider adding them to your diet later in the day.
- While one study showed that eating a breakfast lowered the risk for coronary heart disease by 27%, another showed that a high fat breakfast increased the risk of atherosclerosis. Be careful what you eat.
- Eating breakfast has been linked to weight loss. Effectively, when you eat breakfast, you’re giving your body the sign that you have ample food for the day, so it can burn those calories. Studies show that people who skip breakfast have a higher weight compared to height, even though they eat fewer calories.