Breakfast is often called ‘the most important meal of the day’, and this is because, just as the name suggests, breakfast breaks the overnight fasting period. It helps to replenish the supply of glucose to boost energy levels in the body, while also providing other essential nutrients required for good health.
Despite the benefits of breakfast for good health and wellbeing, many people often skip it, for various reasons. However, below are some of the importance of breakfast, and why you should never skip it.
1. Energy
The body’s energy source is glucose. Glucose is broken down and absorbed from the carbohydrates you eat. Eating breakfast boosts your energy levels and restores your glycogen levels ready to keep your metabolism up for the day.
Skipping breakfast may seem like a good way to reduce overall energy intake. But research shows that even with a higher intake of energy, breakfast eaters tend to be more physically active in the morning than those who don’t eat until later in the day.
2. Essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Breakfast foods are rich in key nutrients such as folate, calcium, iron, B vitamins and fibre. Breakfast provides a lot of your day’s total nutrient intake. In fact, people who eat breakfast are more likely to meet their recommended daily intakes of vitamins and minerals than people who don’t.
3. Breakfast helps you control your weight.
People who regularly eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight or obese. Research is ongoing as to why this is the case. It is thought that eating breakfast may help you control your weight because:
it prevents large fluctuations in your blood glucose levels, helping you to control your appetite
breakfast fills you up before you become really hungry, so you’re less likely to just grab whatever foods are nearby when hunger really strikes (for example high energy, high fat foods with added sugars or salt).
4. Breakfast boosts brainpower
If you don’t have breakfast, you may find yourself a bit sluggish as well as struggling to focus on things. This is because your brain hasn’t received the energy (glucose) it needs to get going. Studies suggest that not having breakfast affects your mental performance, including your attention, ability to concentrate and memory.
Children and adolescents who regularly eat breakfast also tend to perform better academically compared with those who skip breakfast.
5. A healthy breakfast may reduce the risk of illness
Those who regularly eat breakfast tend to have a lower risk of both obesity and type 2 diabetes. There is also some evidence that people who don’t have breakfast may be at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
6. Breakfast helps you make better food choices.
People who eat breakfast generally have more healthy diets overall, have better eating habits and are less likely to be hungry for snacks during the day than people who skip breakfast.
People who skip breakfast tend to nibble on snacks during the mid-morning or afternoon. This can be a problem if those snacks are low in fibre, vitamins and minerals, but high in fat and salt.
Aanuoluwa Adebanjo
RENARSA PRESS UI 