Is skipping breakfast bad?
When it comes to breakfast, we have always been told that this is the most important meal of the day. It starts your engine and gets your body working. Yet, there are a lot of people who go to university or work in the morning without eating anything. Are those people really being that unhealthy?
What is breakfast?
This is where the 'problem' already begins. Is there a certain time at which you have to eat breakfast? When does it become lunch? If you get up at noon in the weekend and then eat something, does that still count as breakfast? Simply, breakfast is just the first thing you eat that day, whenever it may be. So, you don't ever really skip breakfast as long as you eat something that day.
Breakfast eaters vs. no-breakfast eaters
Let's see if there is a difference between people who do and those who don't eat breakfast. Research has shown that people who skip their breakfast, or postpone it for a longer period of time, carry more weight on average and have more health problems than those who do have breakfast. On the other hand, there have also been studies that have investigated both groups, breakfasts eaters and non-eaters, which have shown that there was no physical difference between the two groups. In short, there is generally a difference between people who do and those who don't have breakfast, but this is not necessarily linked to the act of 'eating breakfast' itself. This difference is based on something else...
Stable eating pattern
Looking further at the eating patterns of breakfast eaters and non-eaters, the cause of having more weight becomes evident. Individuals who have breakfast are generally more conscious of how healthy and nutritious they eat all day than those who don't have breakfast. Non-breakfast eaters are more often stressed or on the road than breakfast eaters. As a result, they resort to an unhealthy snacks or sandwiches for on the go than people taking the time to have a good breakfast in the morning. So, if you skip your breakfast but eat healthy the rest of the day, then you're not being unhealthy! In fact, if you're trying to lose weight, it may be good to skip your breakfast every now and then as research has shown that after lunch, breakfasts eaters and non-eaters don't differ in their level of full-ness. Just keep in mind that you should eat healthy!
Is skipping breakfast bad?
As long as you make sure you get enough calories and macronutrients during the day, there is no problem with you skipping breakfast. What you need to keep in mind is that your body needs energy to function. Your brain only works on glucose, so you need food to keep it functioning. If you skip your breakfast, you may struggle more to be active. On the contrary, if you wake up every morning without any appetite you shouldn't force yourself to stuff that sandwich down your throat. My advice is to see what's good for you and what fits your lifestyle best. But, always make sure you get a healthy amount of calories and macronutrients!
Do you ever skip your breakfast? What do you eat later in the day to make sure you get enough calories and macronutrients for the day? Let us know in the comments!
Sources: Foodlog, Mens Good Life, Droge Spieren, NRC.nl, Finelinervreter (illustration).
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