When it comes to skipping breakfast, was mom right? The answer to this question is different than you might think and more complicated than it appears. If you asked me a year ago, I would have, without a doubt, said "yes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" In fact, I am replacing an old post entitled "Mom was Right" about the importance of eating breakfast with this post. Let me start to explain the answer to this question and the reason I am abandoning years of conventional wisdom in favor of new scientific findings.
It was once believed (and still is by many in the fitness and health industry) that breakfast "revved up your metabolism" and got it started for the day. It was also thought that skipping breakfast would send your body into "starvation mode." This has now been proven by several scientific studies to be false. Yep, you read that right. FALSE. Real "Starvation mode" does not begin until several days without food, not after missing a few meals. In fact, regular fasting is not only healthy in terms of giving your digestive system a break, but it also helps to improve blood glucose levels, and actually increases certain fat burning hormones! Here's a link to a fascinating article regarding the myths of skipping breakfast and "starvation mode." Here are several other links if you need a little further convincing:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501
http://fitnessblackbook.com/main/starvation-mode-why-you-probably-never-need-to-worry-about-it/
http://eatstopeat.us/rusty-moore-debunks-the-starvation-mode-myth/
So is there any truth to the importance of breakfast? Here's my opinion. The important part of having breakfast was not so much in the TIMING of the meal, but the routine. It is important to eat at set times every day. If you are used to eating breakfast, and skip it, you will be hungry when it's time to eat, your blood sugar will drop and then you will be more likely to overeat when you finally get the chance to eat. There is a simple way to overcome this. Reset your body's internal eating clock. Choose a time to have your first meal and stick with that as much as possible. Again, this is not a hard and fast rule. It just helps.
For example, if you regularly don't have time to eat breakfast, or don't have an appetite in the morning, don't force yourself to eat! Have a set time to eat your first meal later in the day. Have your first meal everyday at 10am for example. I have always thought it was ridiculous to eat when you're not hungry, but didn't want to mess up my metabolism. Well, now that worry is gone. Listen to your body...unless it is telling you to eat 3 cheeseburgers, fries and a chocolate shake all in one sitting. In that case, please do not listen to your body. ;)
What about children and breakfast? Studies have shown routine is also important for children, especially when it comes to performance at school, as this report shows. My recommendation is that children should also have a proper eating routine, and breakfast is a wonderful tradition. Because of the strict structure of school, most kids need to eat in order to make it to lunchtime without getting too hungry. If they aren't big breakfast eaters, give them a light meal or maybe send a small snack like raw almonds or sliced apples with them to carry in their bags. There are some good recipes for healthy homemade breakfast bars you can make too.
Here is the take-away. If you're not a breakfast eater, don't force it. As a rule, unless you are underweight, don't eat when you're not hungry. Establish an eating routine. It doesn't have to be rigid, but the more you stick to a routine, the more stable your blood glucose levels will be and the less you will think about mealtimes because they will be habitual and not spontaneous. We all make better decisions when we think things through in advance, form habits that work for us, not against us, and we are not called upon to make eating choices when we are already hungry.
It was once believed (and still is by many in the fitness and health industry) that breakfast "revved up your metabolism" and got it started for the day. It was also thought that skipping breakfast would send your body into "starvation mode." This has now been proven by several scientific studies to be false. Yep, you read that right. FALSE. Real "Starvation mode" does not begin until several days without food, not after missing a few meals. In fact, regular fasting is not only healthy in terms of giving your digestive system a break, but it also helps to improve blood glucose levels, and actually increases certain fat burning hormones! Here's a link to a fascinating article regarding the myths of skipping breakfast and "starvation mode." Here are several other links if you need a little further convincing:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501
http://fitnessblackbook.com/main/starvation-mode-why-you-probably-never-need-to-worry-about-it/
http://eatstopeat.us/rusty-moore-debunks-the-starvation-mode-myth/
So is there any truth to the importance of breakfast? Here's my opinion. The important part of having breakfast was not so much in the TIMING of the meal, but the routine. It is important to eat at set times every day. If you are used to eating breakfast, and skip it, you will be hungry when it's time to eat, your blood sugar will drop and then you will be more likely to overeat when you finally get the chance to eat. There is a simple way to overcome this. Reset your body's internal eating clock. Choose a time to have your first meal and stick with that as much as possible. Again, this is not a hard and fast rule. It just helps.
For example, if you regularly don't have time to eat breakfast, or don't have an appetite in the morning, don't force yourself to eat! Have a set time to eat your first meal later in the day. Have your first meal everyday at 10am for example. I have always thought it was ridiculous to eat when you're not hungry, but didn't want to mess up my metabolism. Well, now that worry is gone. Listen to your body...unless it is telling you to eat 3 cheeseburgers, fries and a chocolate shake all in one sitting. In that case, please do not listen to your body. ;)
What about children and breakfast? Studies have shown routine is also important for children, especially when it comes to performance at school, as this report shows. My recommendation is that children should also have a proper eating routine, and breakfast is a wonderful tradition. Because of the strict structure of school, most kids need to eat in order to make it to lunchtime without getting too hungry. If they aren't big breakfast eaters, give them a light meal or maybe send a small snack like raw almonds or sliced apples with them to carry in their bags. There are some good recipes for healthy homemade breakfast bars you can make too.
Here is the take-away. If you're not a breakfast eater, don't force it. As a rule, unless you are underweight, don't eat when you're not hungry. Establish an eating routine. It doesn't have to be rigid, but the more you stick to a routine, the more stable your blood glucose levels will be and the less you will think about mealtimes because they will be habitual and not spontaneous. We all make better decisions when we think things through in advance, form habits that work for us, not against us, and we are not called upon to make eating choices when we are already hungry.
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