I’m sure most of us have heard the phrase “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” over and over again when we were children. Despite being lectured on this alleged truth, many of us skip breakfast anyway. Whether it is a lack of appetite in the morning, or simply not having enough time to make it to work or class, breakfast is a part of the day that often gets ignored. While some people claim skipping breakfast can have negati
ve consequences on a person’s health, others argue that this phenomena has been over hyped. So, how important is breakfast really?
One of the main arguments for eating breakfast in the morning is that it will fulfill one’s satiety. This is argued to prevent a person from consuming more calories later in the day. I have heard people argue that people who skip breakfast tend to splurge during lunch time and consume excess calories. Intuitively this makes sense, however, intuition is not always correct. Studies show that people who skip breakfast might eat more calories during lunch. However, they don’t consume enough during their lunch meals to cause any significant weight gain compared to those who do eat breakfast.
Despite the facts mentioned above, eating a meal in the morning does have its benefits. For example, it has been observed that breakfast eaters tend to be healthier, are less overweight, and have smaller chances of chronic diseases. However, it should be noted that correlation does not always signify causation. It could be that breakfast eaters simply tend to have healthier habits than those who don’t. For example, it has been observed that breakfast eaters tend to smoke less, drink less, and eat more fiber and mineral rich foods . Ultimately, it seems that their overal habits are just more health oriented.
Eating a meal in the morning has its benefits though, which can be backed up scientifically. In the morning, the stress hormone cortisol is at its peak. Cortisol puts the body into a catabolic state which is concerning, especially for athletes. Eating a meal that is filled with healthy carbohydrates and proteins can reverse this process which is essential for muscle health and repair. Athletes are not the only ones who reap the benefit of eating breakfast. People who eat in the morning tend to have higher energy levels, and it can even give you a mental edge. So if you want to perform better in the gym, or at school, think twice before you skip that morning meal.
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This blog’s topic was one that I was really interested in researching but I never got the chance to. As a child my parents always told me breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I always listened. However, as I grew older I saw less need to eat breakfast due to tiredness and lack of motivation. I knew that food gives you energy but I never saw it as something that had to be done every morning. Most of the time I was just not hungry or I was just too tired to even get myself to eat. Although I did this, before every test or exam I had throughout high school I always forced myself to eat at least a bagel for energy. I found this article https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201103/how-sleep-helps-memory
I am guilty for not always eating a healthy breakfast in the morning or even just eating breakfast at all. It started in high school when I would skip breakfast. I liked to sleep in so I would sleep until the last possible minute there was and by the time I got ready I didn’t have time to make anything or I would just settle for a quick grab of a granola bar or something quick. I have noticed over the years the few times I do get to make a balanced breakfast I feel a lot better. I’m more alert and focused. I definitely need to start eating a more balanced meal for breakfast. As you stated in your blog about people who skip breakfast tend to eat more or indulge more at lunch and I notice that when I skip breakfast I do tend to binge eat because I am starving by lunch time. This blog has made me realize that I should start getting up earlier to make a balanced breakfast.
Of course we have all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but not everyone actually eats breakfast even when they are not ignorant to the benefits of it. I used to eat breakfast everyday when I was in elementary school, middle school, and most of high school. I would get up a little early and go downstairs to have a nice breakfast and then get ready for school. During my senior year of high school I would use the extra time to sleep in and just grab something to eat on the way. Now that I am in college I never really “have time” to eat breakfast. However, your blog has convinced me to start making the time again to have breakfast in the morning because of the many benefits. I did find this article that explains how breakfast actually isn’t harmful for you, however it doesn’t mean that eating it isn’t actually good for you, because it is.
I too was extremely consistent with a good breakfast every morning, but you bring up a good point especially when it comes to college and not being able to go get breakfast due to lack of time or other conflicts. This being case it’s really not the end of the world from various approaches. I want to share a blog I wrote that brushed upon a lifestyle called intermittent fasting. http://sites.psu.edu/siowfa16/2016/09/15/intermittent-fasting-vs-traditional-fasting-and-dieting/ , it’s a different approach towards your every day meals, specifically breakfast. I think you should find this fascinating and maybe convincing.
I enjoyed reading this post. I usually skip breakfast in the morning beacuse of lack of time. Its good to hear that eating breakfast isn’t as important as some make it out to be. But I might try to eat breakfast more after hearing the benefits it may have.
This is a good post that was well written. I am one of those people that does not eat breakfast in the morning. I do this because i find it hard to eat when i first wake up. After reading this post i can relate to being more hungry during lunch time than i am when i eat breakfast. After reading this post i am going to start to eat breakfast in the morning to live a more healthy life style
Here’s a blog I wrote on a different method of eating breakfast specifically (not eating breakfast), called Intermittent fasting. http://sites.psu.edu/siowfa16/2016/09/15/intermittent-fasting-vs-traditional-fasting-and-dieting/ . Its a very different approach but explains something you can maybe relate to and I discuss some benefits and outcomes from practicing this method. It’s actually set up to extend your fast through breakfast and ends it with the consumption of a much larger meal later in the day which is exactly what you described. Hopefully you find this topic of interest.