You've heard this before, and I'll say it again – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You've been asleep all night and your brain and body need fuel to work properly. Lots of studies show we perform better on cognitive tests when we eat breakfast. So, please, don't skip breakfast.
Image © FOTODESIGN/ iStockphotoWhy do so many people skip breakfast? Some skip breakfast because they think it's a good way to cut calories and lose weight. But it isn't. People who eat breakfast every day actually have a better time with weight management than breakfast-skippers do.
Another reason people skip breakfast is time. Some days it just seems easier to skip breakfast than go through the hassle of cooking something. But breakfast doesn't have to be a lavish creation – with just a little prep, breakfast can be fast, easy and healthy. A quick healthy breakfast should contain protein (like eggs, cheese, yogurt), fiber (from whole grains or fruit) and carbohydrates to fuel your body and keep you feeling full throughout the morning. A boiled egg, slice of whole grain toast and a glass of juice makes a great quick and healthy breakfast (and so easy if you have a batch of hard-boiled eggs on hand). Here are more ideas:
- Serve a quick superfoods breakfast with oatmeal, bananas, walnuts and dried fruit in just 15 minutes.
- Make healthy breakfast cereal bars for an on-the-go breakfast.
- Blend a rich vanilla protein smoothie in just two minutes.
- Layer yogurt, fruit and breakfast cereal to make a yogurt sundae.
This gives me the chance to relate my success-story: I lost 25-30 pounds 7 years ago, and have kept the weight off. But the fact that I’ve succeeded where most people fail doesn’t stop the “experts” from scolding me for daring to buck conventional wisdom.
I don’t eat breakfast.
I don’t eat lunch.
I don’t swallow the claims that this is bad for my health.
Many people prefer to scold than stopping to consider something that may help them. But doesn’t my success in an area dominated by soul-crushing failure indicate you should consider my points?
My own story of weight loss is, of course, anecdotal, so how about some research that supports my claims: first, Dr. David Levitsky, professor of nutrition at Cornell, conducted a controlled study where subjects skipped breakfast. They ate more than they usually would at lunch, but not enough to make up the difference. There was a net loss in caloric intake. Dr. Mark Mattson of the National Institute of Aging had subjects skip breakfast and lunch, then had them a prescribed, full day’s allotment of calories worth at dinner. They neither gained nor lost weight, but his opinion was that if left on their own they’d eat less for dinner. That’s my experience. Exercise discipline and don’t eat junk-food (except occasionally), and you won’t eat more throughout the course of the day. Just make sure you have a good selection of assorted, nutritious foods for your one meal.
As for metabolism: one’s basal-rate of metabolism never stops, but it does decrease while sleeping. It’s true that eating can increase it – through what’s called thermogenesis – but then so can drinking a glass of cold water.
My routine is tough at first to get used to, but I think many can relate to how you get into a “zone” where you just don’t feel hungry. Today I ran 11 miles/17.7K on an empty stomach (btw- I’m not lying; I have better things to do than misrepresent myself on an internet forum). When I finished at about 1, I had plenty of fluids, but no food. Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all about how “bad” that is for you. Talk to the hand. I’m right on this; I’m TELLING you. I’m not going to claim it’s the ONLY way to lose weight, but long-term success stories are rare, so I’m clearly doing something right. And I feel utterly confident that the “Breakfast is the most important meal” canard will be revised, as part of ongoing scientific inquiry, in due course.
Cameron, you’re not alone. I’ve found that eating a little something for breakfast makes me HUNGRIER around lunch time than if I don’t eat at all. So, for weight loss, skipping breakfast and lunch, with a normal size dinner and small dessert before bed, works for me. If I feel hungry during the day, I just drink some water to fill my stomach and the hunger abates. I believe it’s very possible that our early ancestors ate only one meal per day. I’m sure there are millions of people around the world who would love to have a meal every single day.