Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?
We've all heard the cliché saying "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"
While ALL meals are essential for our health and fitness, a healthy breakfast can offer you some incredible health benefits!!
Sparing just a few minutes in the morning before you leave the house, or even after, could contribute to your overall health and fitness, as well as set you up for the rest of the day.
Why Is Breakfast So Important?
You’ve probably heard people rave about Breakfast being important over and over for your entire life. Your parental figures may have said it, you've learnt it in school and seen it ALL over the internet.
But why is it so important, and what happens if you skip it?
Breakfast is an essential meal because it gives you the energy you need to start the day. You literally are breaking the overnight fast.
Eating breakfast has also been shown as contributing to many health benefits, such as weight control, improved physical and cognitive performance, and improved metabolic biomarkers.
The Link between Breakfast and Weight Loss
Several observational studies have reported that people who skip breakfast tend to weigh more overall, which may seem counterintuitive.
For example, if you want to lose weight, eating two meals instead of eating three meals means you’re eating fewer calories, doesn’t it? Well, not necessarily.
One theory is that breakfast skippers tend to get hungrier faster and, therefore, eat more calories later on, throughout the day, than regular breakfast eaters would.
The theory goes like this: Skipping breakfast results in spending the rest of your day making up for those missed calories, resulting in overcompensating, and eventually leading to excess, unwanted weight gain.
However, most of these reports have come strictly from observational studies, with little data from an experimental cause-and-effect setting.
This means that many other factors could contribute to the weight gain, aside from just not eating breakfast. So don't take this theory as bible!
Breakfast, Part of Healthy Living
Weight Loss isn't the end all and be all. There are other potential health consequences to keep tabs on.
We have read that some studies found breakfast skippers tend to have 2.5x greater risk of atherosclerosis compared to those who ate breakfast.
Long term studies noted a 21% increase risk for diabetes with breakfast skipping.
It’s possible eating breakfast could just be a marker for other healthy habits (people who eat breakfast tend to be more health conscious) and breakfast itself could have nothing to do with long-term health!
However, a number of well-conducted short-term studies showed that skipping breakfast can adversely affect blood sugar metabolism. This may be the reason for higher risk for diabetes in breakfast skippers.
Sooo... Should I eat Breakfast?
While it’s unclear if breakfast is more important than any other meal, having breakfast may be better than not having it!
That being said, just as with any meal, it’s the quality of meal that also matters!
Our Breakfast Bundle may be the perfect place to start when it comes to delicious but healthy protein packed breakfasts!
Choose between Slender Porridge, Pancakes & Granola! Also get your hands on a FREE tub of our Slender Coffee!
Slender Porridge is packed with protein, low in calories, high in fibre and had complex carbs - this makes for an easy healthy delicious breakfast option! You can make simple porridge, baked oats or even overnight oats!
Slender Pancakes are SO easy to make! Just add to a bowl, mix in some water and cook them on the pan! They are so much lower in calories than standard store bought pancakes and high in protein - WIN WIN!
Slender Granola is much higher in protein and lower in calories compared to your standard store bought granola! This may be more of a treat breakfast option but it goes perfectly with milk, yoghurt or as a topping for your favourite smoothie bowls!