Is Breakfast REALLY That Big Of A Deal?

Is Breakfast Truly the Most Important Meal of the Day?

Okay, so let’s tackle the most important part of this conversation: whether or not breakfast truly is the important meal of the day. When it comes to this, the first thing to remember is what breakfast pretty much means: BREAK. FAST.

After spending several hours resting so that your body is able to restore and rejuvenate itself, since you haven’t consumed anything during that time, breakfast is seen as a way to “refuel” your system. And so, if you’re looking at things from a “well duh” perspective, it would make sense that if you need energy to start your day off (right) and you’re aware of the fact that food can provide you with it, then you absolutely should partake in some sort of breakfast type of meal.

This is especially the case being that breakfast does everything from raise your blood sugar levels (that definitely took a dive while you were sleeping), help to prevent cravings, put you into a better mood and help to keep your stress levels down.

Keeping all of this in mind, the main thing to prioritize is watching what you eat when it comes to partaking in your first meal of the day. In fact, that is why, in some health expert circles, it’s somewhat debatable that you should have your heartiest meal in the morning. In fact, some say that of your three main meal options — breakfast, lunch and dinner — lunch should be your largest one (although between breakfast and dinner only, go with breakfast).

The main reason is because eating heavy in the morning could slow you down and eating late at night could make it hard to sleep (because your body is trying to digest your meal).

Okay, so aside from what I already said that breakfast can do for you, are there some other benefits that you should keep in mind?

The Other Benefits of Eating Breakfast

Honestly, what I already said about how breakfast can help you out provides a pretty solid case. There are some other “wins” that should go on record, though:

• People who eat breakfast on a consistent basis tend to be more physically active
• People who eat breakfast tend to snack less throughout the day (and if they do snack, the foods are usually healthier)
• People who eat breakfast are able to get more protein, carbs and fiber into their system which can help them to perform better at work
• People who eat breakfast tend to lower their risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• People who eat breakfast are able to focus better, remember more and even articulate themselves more effectively

So yes, as you can see, there are all sorts of reasons why it’s a good idea to eat breakfast. Just make sure that you are consuming foods that will work in your favor like fresh fruit (plenty of nutrients with lots of hydration), omelets, yogurt or oatmeal (lots of protein) or whole grain toast (a healthy carb). And definitely slow down on breakfast foods that, one way or another, will end up doing more harm than good like processed meats (too much sodium), pancakes and waffles (between them and their condiments, too many calories) or even breakfast bars (more sugar than nutrients).

Because in order for breakfast to be beneficial, you’ve got to eat foods that are proven to actually…benefit you.

The Things That Make Breakfast an Absolute Must…Debatable

Aight. So, with all of the things that I just shared about how breakfast is helpful, on a myriad of levels, will the world come crashing down if you go without it? I mean, as I said in the intro, it’s not on my personal list of top morning priorities and my health has remained in pretty good shape. I might be an exception and not the rule, though, so let’s see what science has to say.

If you’ve heard somewhere that breakfast can help to give your metabolism a boost, while there is some truth to that, if you’re thinking that automatically equates to losing weight — eh, not so much. Several studies say that folks who eat breakfast typically gain a couple of pounds more than anything. Now that doesn’t mean that you can’t have and enjoy breakfast; you’ve just got to be super intentional about going light and eating a larger lunch (like we discussed earlier).

Skipping breakfast can be a form of intermittent fasting. Although breakfast means you are breaking your fast of not eating since dinner, if you choose to wait until later on in the day, that can teach you how to listen to your body as far as your hunger cues go. Plus, there are proven advantages that come with intermittent fasting including weight loss, less stress, a lowered blood pressure, reduced bodily inflammation and cellular repair.

Another thing that can come from at least not eating breakfast every single day is it can “detox” your digestive system; especially if you tend to be a late-night eater (which, overall, isn’t the best for your body, by the way). Yeah, it’s always wise to keep in mind that 80 percent of your immunity is in your gut and so giving your digestive system time to “reset” can strengthen it in the long run. When it comes to this, some herbal tea or infused water may be all that you need in the early hours of your day.

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If you just read all of this and you’re thinking, “Breakfast is not as black and white as I thought” — yeah, that was my immediate takeaway too. So, when it comes to the title of this piece — is breakfast that big of a deal? I would say the answer is, it’s not something that should be treated as irrelevant or to be dismissed.

At the very least — and I am absolutely preaching to the choir as I say this — be intentional about getting something into your system before noon, even if it’s a bowl of berries with some Greek yogurt or a slice of avocado toast.

Why? Well, for the most part, the pros of having some sort of breakfast outweigh the advantages of skipping out (at least consistently). And that’s a good enough reason to take it seriously. Wouldn’t you say?

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