Is Breakfast Really Important Or Is It A Lie

Breakfast was never my favorite meal growing up. In fact, most days, I’d skip breakfast. Even as an adult, I still skip breakfast sometimes.

Yes, I was frequently told that breakfast was the most important meal of the (we will address this phrase later). However, I just rolled my eyes every time I heard those words and skipped breakfast.

However, a thought popped into my head while I was editing the videos for my toasted coconut waffles recipe and keto chocolate protein waffles. Is breakfast truly the most important meal of the day?

As a frequent breakfast skipper, I always felt fine. I felt focused and alert. However, on days when I actually ate breakfast, I felt tired and sleepy most times. In addition to this. I found it extremely difficult to focus on anything. 

However, before we explore whether breakfast is essential, let’s talk about the history of breakfast. 

History Of Breakfast 

Breakfast is an English term that consists of two words: break and fast. Since we do not consume anything between our last meal of the night and the first meal of the day, we are essentially taking a break or fast from eating. 

This period also falls under fasting because it is the longest break between meals. When individuals rise in the morning, they will break the fast by consuming breakfast. 

Before the end of the 19th century, only 2 meals were consumed per day. Lunch was consumed around noon, and dinner was eaten in the evening around sundown. 

However, there are recorded instances of persons drinking coffee before consuming lunch or a snack in Europe and during the Ottoman Empire. However, in the 1920s. 

European governments began highlighting that breakfast was essential and that a good breakfast boosted performance. However, most people had already accepted breakfast as an essential meal worldwide. 

We’ve all heard the phrase, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. This phrase was created by the originators of Kelloggs cereal James Caleb Jackson and John Harvey Kellogg to market and sell their breakfast cereal. 

Next, the bacon industry got in on the action by persuading consumers that including protein in your breakfast was extremely important. From there, breakfast became a worldwide phenomenon. 

Advantages Of Eating Breakfast 

Observational studies associate regularly consuming breakfast with a reduced BMI, decreased risk of developing chronic diseases, and a richer diet quality. Furthermore, consuming breakfast can have beneficial effects on appetite and cognition. 

A systematic review conducted by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation examined the effects of school feeding programs in South Asia, Latin America, East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. Results showed that school feeding programs in middle and low-income areas boosted student participation and learning. 

Ultimately good breakfast can decrease the risk of malnutrition and enhance student attendance. Breakfast also has a positive short-term effect on information processing, memory, and attention. Therefore children who consume breakfast regularly perform better than children who eat breakfast irregularly or do not consume breakfast.  

Another study also examined the relationship between consuming or skipping breakfast and the type of breakfast consumed on health-related quality of life, perceived stress, and depression. The participants were 527 adolescents. 

Essentially, adolescents who consumed a good quality breakfast had a better health-related quality of life and decreased levels of stress and depression than adolescents who ate a low-quality breakfast. Adolescents who skipped breakfast had a higher related quality of life and reduced depression and stress levels than adolescents who ate a poor quality breakfast. 

Therefore eating breakfast is essential. However, the type of breakfast you are eating is also important. 

Disadvantages Of Skipping Breakfast 

There is a downside to skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast is considered a critical factor leading to an unhealthy lifestyle. An unhealthy lifestyle opens the door to other health risk behaviors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle. 

In addition to this, an unhealthy lifestyle may also lead to mood changes, depressive symptoms, and low educational achievement. Unhealthy lifestyles are also connected to a decreased quality of life and chronic stress. Both of these factors can increase your risk of developing cardio metabolic disease.

What Should I Eat For Breakfast

The ideal breakfast should consist of 20 to 35% of daily energy, derived from 3 three food groups. These fruit groups include milk or milk products, unrefined whole-grain cereals, and fresh fruit or fruit juice free of added sugars. For example, you can eat a bowl of whole-grain, no sugar added cereal with milk and have an apple or unsweetened apple juice for breakfast. 

In Summation

It turns out breakfast is an important meal. Breakfast can have a beneficial impact on cognition, depression and stress levels and even your risk of developing chronic diseases. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to consume a healthy breakfast. I know I will!

Side Note

Food and mood creations was featured on Feed’s spots top 100 blogs list, so if you are looking for more wholesome healthy content check out this list Top 100 Healthy Eating Blogs.