15 August 2007
“EAT a good breakfast – it’s the most important meal of the day.” If there is one dietary message that generations of mothers have drummed into their children, this is it. The advice to mothers has always been similarly clear: feed your kids the right stuff for breakfast and they will be able to concentrate all morning. Feed them poorly and they will struggle to stay awake in class.
Yet this tried and trusted advice has started to come unstuck. As we learn more about the way the body and brain regulate sugars, the idea that breakfast is always the best way to start the day is increasingly being challenged. In fact, eating breakfast can sometimes be worse for mental and physical performance than going hungry.
Of the many nutrients in your diet, the brain can use just one for fuel – glucose – which your body derives from carbohydrates in food ...