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More people skip breakfast -

There are a lot more people who skip breakfast, or fast purposefully, these days. Many scientists claim skipping breakfast isn’t a bad thing.

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Weight loss -

It’s been proven that eating a morning meal was not a reliable way to lose weight and that skipping breakfast likely does not lead to weight gain. That's probably not a surprise to many.

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Metabolism -

Indeed, this effectively contradicts the argument that not eating a morning meal will make people gain weight because without a morning meal the metabolism gets lazy.

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Preconceptions -

A lot of these preconceptions are based on research funded by breakfast cereal companies like Kellogg. This research aside, it’s not very clear.

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Skipping breakfast for weight loss -

The research has also suggested that people who eat breakfast tend to weigh less and burn more calories. However, it may be the case that the people who skip breakfast are not heavier because they skip breakfast, but that these heavier people tend to skip breakfast because they're concerned about their weight.

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Why it's hard to be research -

Socioeconomic factors may also play a role here. People who eat breakfast every day may be those who are wealthier and enjoy all the other health benefits of being wealthier, too.

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Why it's hard to research -

Another example of this may be that people who work nine to five can eat breakfast pretty easily compared to someone who works night shifts.

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Inflammation -

Other research has found that there’s no strong connection whatsoever between eating breakfast and weight loss, but that skipping breakfast may lead to inflammation.

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"It can't hurt' -

Sharon Collison, a registered dietitian nutritionist and a clinical instructor in nutrition at the University of Delaware, says she’s never heard of any evidence showing that eating breakfast can make you gain weight.

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Fueling up for the day ahead -

Collison likens it to putting gas in your car before you drive it. It’s not going to hurt. Also, she says that eating within the first hour of waking is what's sensible.

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Snacking -

There is a risk that not eating breakfast means that you will snack more on unhealthy foods.

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Diabetics and mental health -

Breakfast can play a big role in getting insulin moving into the cells, which is relevant for diabetics. Sarah Diehl, a registered dietician with Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in California, says that three meals (including breakfast) are best for people with diabetes.

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Mental health and breakfast -

A study published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition researched the relationship between mental health and eating breakfast based on their findings from 126 participants between ages 20 and 70.

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The benefits of eating in the morning -

They found that people who ate cereal for breakfast every day were less depressed, less emotionally distressed, and had lower levels of perceived stress than those who did not eat breakfast each day.

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Breakfast eaters are likely to be healthier anyway -

People who had breakfast every day had a healthier lifestyle. They were less likely to be consumers of tobacco products, drank less, and had a healthier diet.

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BMI -

Christy C. Tangney, a clinical dietitian at Rush University Medical Center, believes that not eating breakfast is associated with having a higher BMI.

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Concentration -

However, on a more basic level, breakfast has been shown to improve our mental well-being. For one thing, it improves our concentration.

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Short-term memory -

Did you know that coffee and blueberries improve our short-term memory and concentration? Eating the right breakfast also makes us feel more alert.

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Balancing moods -

Eating breakfast allows us to balance our moods better. Missing meals, especially breakfast, causes blood sugar levels to drop, causing irritability, fatigue, and brain fog.

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Stress tolerance -

Realistically, nobody likes waking up and crawling out of their beds on cold mornings. Mornings are stressful. Eating breakfast essentially helps your body deal with this stress.

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Where the nutrients go -

Roxanne Sukol, MD, says: “When we eat real food that nourishes us, it becomes the protein-building blocks, enzymes, brain tissue, and neurotransmitters that transfer information and signals between various parts of the brain and body.”

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In a nutshell -

At this point, the majority of the research is pointing out that it’s probably a lot safer to eat a healthy breakfast, and trying to lose weight from not eating breakfast isn’t helpful.

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What's an ideal breakfast look like? -

A healthy breakfast usually includes grain, proteins, fat, and fruit or vegetables. This might sound complicated, but it can be simple (and delicious).

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Avocado and eggs -

Try wholemeal bread with poached eggs and avocado. If you want to make it even healthier, a piece of fruit is perfect.

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Oats and fruit -

Porridge with a spoon of nut butter (for protein and fat) and berries satisfies all the requirements of a healthy breakfast, too.

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Starting the day on a positive (and tasty) note -

Try to make it exciting and enjoyable as well as nutritious. There’s something to be said about how you feel first thing in the morning.

Sources: (Healthline)(International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition)(WebMD)

See also: Celebrities with bizarre eating habits

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