This is just what you needed to read on the Internet today. Another “Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day” article. You’ve clicked, you’re reading and you’re all but certain you know what’s going to be in this by now. You’re wondering how this article is any different. It isn’t. You clearly aren’t going to read anything new. A quick Google search shows a myriad of articles highlighting this fact. There’s even some “Breakfast is NOT The Most Important Meal of the Day” content out there. Is this adage so old, so antiquated, we’ve moved past it? At Real Benefits Group, we’d like to answer that with a resounding, whole-hearted no.
Again, it’s time to roll out the facts. According to WebMD, getting a healthy to start to your day is often linked to:
- Better overall health
- Better memory and concentration
- Lower levels of LDL cholesterol
- Lower chances of diabetes, heart disease and obesity
We all know this, so why are we skipping it? It could be a number of things: Trying to save time in the mornings, giving yourself a leg up on weight loss. Maybe you’re just simply not hungry in the mornings. Coffee and run, that’s good enough, right? Wrong. Of course, wrong.
By making time for breakfast in the morning, we’re making time for a better start to your day. It’s easy to forget that we’re literally breaking our nighttime fast with our first meal, and in turn, prolonging it by waiting until lunch. Doing this can wreak havoc on your blood sugar, metabolism and your energy reserves, leaving you to make less than optimal choices in your day. You may not have time for breakfast in the morning. But you definitely don’t have time for the mistakes you’re likely to be making in a fasting state.
So maybe it’s not about time. Maybe it’s about losing weight. With the advent of low-calorie and carb diets into the mainstream, breakfast can seem like an ideal place to skip a meal and save your points for later. But research from doctors shows that by having a regular breakfast, you’re more satiated during the day and less likely to give in to, say, the doughnuts that Sarah brought just because. More so, by eating breakfast, your body will no longer be convinced it’s in fasting mode and begin burning your fat storages. Might be the kind of thing you want happening if you’re looking to lose weights.
A healthy start doesn’t need to be a big production. It never hurts to steal a page out of the Mediterranean playbook and begin a day with cheese, dried fruits and nuts—all things that could be easily prepped the night before or grabbed in a hurry for the commute. Hard-boiled eggs, which can also be prepared for the week beforehand, are portable and packed with nutrients and vitamins that few options can deliver. Plus, have you heard of avocado toast, the preferred breakfast of millennials? Mock them all you want, but they may be on to something with whole grains and healthy fats found in their infamous pairing of choice.