How important is breakfast, really? A health expert explains how to do it right

The meaning of the word “Breakfast” is hidden from everyone’s eyes: breaking the fast.

“I find the idea of ​​breakfast interesting,” says Steven Malin, a professor of health at Rutgers University Vice versa. “We usually think of certain foods as breakfast foods, but in reality everything relates to breakfast to break the sleep fast.”

So technically, all you eat when you wake up (probably) in the morning is breakfast, be it coffee, protein bars, or dinner. The objective health benefits of breakfast are a little more salacious, although some believe that a regular breakfast in the morning boosts the body’s metabolism and helps ward off obesity.

What matters, Malin says, is what you’re trying to achieve by eating (or skipping) breakfast and what your body needs most.

Is breakfast the most important meal?

The claim that breakfast is the main meal stems from the fact that it is the first energy you consume after eight to twelve hours of fasting. Malin points to evidence that breakfast improves cognition and reduces hunger. The claim that breakfast boosts metabolism “doesn’t seem to be true,” he writes. While it’s true that eating a regular breakfast is associated with lower body weight, it’s more related to daily hunger than how your metabolism works.

It also depends on the breakfaster. For someone concerned with blood sugar control, skipping breakfast can make it difficult to control blood sugar later in the day. Those who exercise in the morning or during the day will likely do better with a breakfast. On the other hand, Malin says that people who eat breakfast are also more active throughout the day, so it provides energy to achieve more.

“This is important because exercise throughout the day helps reduce mortality/diabetes risk independent of exercise,” writes Malin.

What if I skip breakfast?

First, that depends on what you mean by skipping breakfast.

If you don’t eat anything at all, your fast will last longer and longer. The body is deceptively active at night while we sleep, converting stored carbohydrates and fat, called glycogen, into glucose to fuel red blood cells and the brain. But, says Malin, the longer you wait to eat after waking up, the more your body shifts from using stored fat to breaking down muscle protein to provide the body with raw materials for glucose. So muscle loss is a long-term problem from skipping breakfast all the time, he says.

A more obvious, shorter-term consequence is dealing with the effects of hunger. Increased hunger could make it harder to focus on work or school because the brain lacks the immediate glucose to fuel it.

Some research suggests that skipping breakfast is linked to weight gain and obesity, which come with a range of health risks, but this concern is less about the effects on metabolism.

“Some work suggests that people then compensate by nibbling more food throughout the day or even eating later at night,” says Malin. He adds that late-night eating may be linked to a risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and possibly anxiety.

Gulping down a coffee can also be a form of skipping breakfast, but it still brings calories to the body, especially with sugar and cream to raise insulin levels.

What makes a good breakfast?

“That’s a tough question to answer,” writes Malin. Ultimately it comes down to what you want to achieve. Someone with type 2 diabetes trying to maintain their weight eats a different breakfast than someone without diabetes trying to lose weight. (Malin confirms that skipping breakfast isn’t a good weight loss plan.)

He says processed foods could lead to overeating because they are less nutrient dense than unprocessed foods. Eating a favorite sweet cereal can do wonders for our happiness, but it could make you hungry an hour later. That doesn’t entirely rule out cinnamon toast crunch, but maybe an egg or whole wheat toast with this bowl. These unprocessed foods are particularly important for restoring nutrients used up during sleep — and this goes doubly so for those who exercise regularly.

Analyzing what makes a hearty American breakfast, Malin estimates that out of a 2,000-calorie daily diet, a 400-calorie breakfast (give or take) might suffice. He points to a piece of fruit, a source of protein, and morning coffee or tea as a respectable meal.

For breakfast novices, a little is better than nothing, and splurging on a few hundred calories from unprocessed foods will replenish the body’s energy.

PLEASE CHECK is a Vice versa Series that uses biology, chemistry and physics to debunk the biggest nutritional myths and assumptions.

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