Breakfast: The Important Meal We Overlook...

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We've all known since we were kids that we should eat three full meals a day, but breakfast often gets neglected because everyday life these days is such a rush. Lots of people settle for a single cup of coffee or skip the meal altogether. So why does breakfast matter so much?

Why breakfast matters

In reality, every meal we eat is important. But the reason breakfast matters most is that the body uses the energy from dinner to keep the heart pumping blood around the body, and because we've gone without food all night, we need breakfast to replace the energy we've used up. It also refuels the body and the brain, so our brain can work efficiently all day long.

But something lots of people still get wrong is the idea that skipping breakfast helps you lose weight. In fact, not eating breakfast makes you gain even more weight. People who skip breakfast build up cravings, because low blood sugar makes them eat more at the following meals without realizing it, whether that's lunch, dinner or extra snacking, so they end up taking in too many calories. Dinner in particular isn't a time when the body needs a lot of calories, so the extra gets stored as fat, making you gain weight.

Several studies back this up. One of them, from Harvard Medical School, found that men and women who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to become obese than people who skip breakfast or who go for quick, convenient breakfasts, which tend to be full of starch, fat and sugar, and high in calories too.

Skipping breakfast is also bad for your metabolism, because the body slows its metabolism down to conserve energy, which leads to a sluggish metabolism, which in turn makes it easy to gain weight and put on fat, or to end up too thin.

What's more, a 2014 study from the University of California found that women who skipped breakfast had higher cortisol levels throughout the day than women who ate breakfast. Cortisol is a hormone the body normally releases in the morning to make the brain alert and ready for the new day, and its level then gradually drops. But in people who skip breakfast, it keeps rising, which can cause stress to build up in the body. And when cortisol levels are out of balance, your risk of heart and blood vessel disease can go up.

Skipping breakfast over a long period also raises your risk of diabetes, because the body becomes insulin resistant. If you eat breakfast regularly, you can cut that risk by as much as 35–50%.

Skipping breakfast can also contribute to Alzheimer's disease as you get older. All night long the body gets no nutrients, especially sugar, which is a key nutrient for the brain to work. And if you then skip breakfast, your blood sugar keeps falling until there isn't enough to fuel the brain. This affects your memory and makes your brain slow and inefficient, eventually putting you at risk of Alzheimer's.

How to choose the best breakfast

Now that we know why breakfast matters, that doesn't mean we can eat just anything. We should choose a nutritious breakfast that covers all five food groups and is rich in fiber, protein and good fats, which help you feel full and curb your appetite between meals. Choose easy-to-digest or lean meats, like fish or chicken breast, as your main protein. You should also avoid processed foods such as sausages, bacon and canned food, as well as fried foods, because they're heavily seasoned and full of oil, salt, MSG or sugar. The most important thing is to eat the right amount, not too much and not too little. And don't play on your phone while you're eating, because it can make you overeat without realizing it.

So breakfast really is the most important meal. We should eat breakfast every single morning, and no matter how rushed we are, we shouldn't forget it, because breakfast helps us get through our daily routine efficiently, with a clear head and a strong, healthy body that stays free of disease.

Source: Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth)