Health News

How To Live Longer: People Who Eat Breakfast More Likely To Be Healthy

You have likely heard it said before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But some people do not wake up particularly hungry, while others are just not that into breakfast.

But there’s a bit of wiggle room: the general recommendation is to eat within two hours of waking up. And the word “breakfast” literally means breaking a fast, so you don’t really have to eat “breakfast food” like cereal or waffles if you’d rather just have a tuna sandwich or a pastrami on rye. 

Whatever you choose to break your fast with, skipping breakfast may be cutting your life short and seven contributing to illness. Among Americans, just 44 percent eat breakfast every day. It seems that younger generations skip breakfast in higher numbers which may have negative effects on still-growing bodies. (1)

Disadvantages of Skipping Breakfast 

A few studies have shown that skipping breakfast can result in health problems such as:

• Weight Gain. One Japanese study revealed that despite the fact that caloric consumption tends to be less among the Japanese population, there has been an increase in obesity. This led researchers to study whether the timing of the meals is significant to the obesity factor. They concluded that skipping breakfast had a more significant influence on both waist circumference and BMI than eating dinner right before going to bed. (2)

• Less Healthy Choices. Skipping breakfast can lead to higher consumption of sweets, soft drinks and fewer fruits and vegetables throughout the day.  
• Engagement in risky behavior. People can be more prone to smoking and abusing alcohol and drugs when they skip breakfast.
• It can negatively affect your sugar levels. Added to this, lowered energy levels and diminished cognitive function.
• Cortisol levels go up. When you don’t eat breakfast, your cortisol levels keep rising as a way to maintain blood glucose levels causing insulin resistance. This can also make it challenging to get rid of belly fat.
• Increase of Acidity Levels. Your body releases acid in the stomach to aid digestion. If you are starving yourself, those acids end up at the stomach walls, throat and chest area, causing damage. 
• Headaches and dizziness. Lack of food in the morning can cause dizziness and headaches. This is the way your body is communicating that needs fuel.
• Cardiovascular Disease. A study found out that skipping breakfast can increase cardiovascular disease and the risk of mortality. (3)

Benefits of Eating Breakfast 

Having breakfast every day can boost many health benefits like:

• Energy Boost. Having breakfast in the morning increases your energy levels by restoring your glycogen levels keeping your metabolism up for the rest of the day.
• Improved Heart Health. When you wake up is the time that your body uses sugar more effectively. It is recommendable to choose fiber-filled carbs to lower your cholesterol.
• Healthy Weight. Eating breakfast regularly will help you to maintain a healthy weight. It can prevent dramatic glucose fluctuation allowing you to control your appetite.
• Boost on brainpower. Various studies have shown that eating breakfast can improve your mental performance and memory, increasing your attention and concentrating ability.
• Reduce Illnesses. Having breakfast may reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Making Healthy Breakfast Choices

It is not only essential to have breakfast most days, but it also plays a crucial role in what we choose for the first meal of the day too. Some healthy breakfast options to keep in mind are:

• Rolled oats porridge or plain quick oats with fruits.
• Whole grain cereals such as whole-wheat, bran cereals or muesli with yogurt or milk and fresh fruit.
• A variety of fresh and seasonal fruits with raw seeds and nuts.
• Wholegrain toast, with toppings like poached eggs, spinach, salmon, cheese, avocado or spreads such as hummus, nut pastes like peanut or almond butter.
• Breakfast smoothies made of fresh fruits and vegetables with natural yogurt or milk. 
• Yogurt or kefir with fresh fruit, raw seeds, nuts and a bit of honey.

Also, if you are one of many that feel that you have no time for breakfast in the morning, you may be able to take some time for breakfast by:

• Make your breakfast meal the night before (overnight oats) or over the weekend.
• Set your alarm 15 minutes before to have some time for breakfast.
• Keep some healthy breakfast food at work.

Eat breakfast and stay ahead of your hormones! Learn more about how ‘hormonal hijack’ commands your cells to crave more body fat… and what to do to stop it. Click here to learn more!

Sources:

1. http://users.rowan.edu/~ballom39/Newsletter.pdf
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4310153/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31023424/