Breakfast literally means “breaking the fast,” i.e breaking the 8 to 12 hours long fast whilst you were asleep.
The importance of breakfast can’t be denied as it energizes the body and helps us gear up for the beautiful day ahead of us.
You must have heard this old age adage, which is –
Breakfast like a king,
Lunch like a prince and
Dinner like a pauper
What is the importance of breakfast in your daily diet?
Simply put, when you sleep, your body breaks down all the food you eat during dinner gives nutrients to all parts of the body. As you wake up, you need more energy to perform the activities of the new day.
Rather than eating a heavy dinner, it’s always a good idea to start the new day with a substantial breakfast. This has 2 fold benefits-
- It can avoid metabolic syndrome with conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure etc.
- A healthy breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and lets you burn more calories during the day, which is the most attractive bonus.
Children who skip breakfast are more likely to feel hungry at odd times. Due to this, they end up munching junk food which is not good for their health.
What are the disadvantages of skipping the morning breakfast?
You may be rushing to your office or simply not in the mood of having breakfast. Whatever the reasons may be, skipping breakfast is simply not a healthy practice. Here are a few known disadvantages of skipping the morning meal.
It can lead to Weight Gain
You might think that eating breakfast adds more calories to the body so how can skipping the morning meal lead to weight gain. Well, simply because if you don’t eat sober breakfast at the right time, your body would drain energy sooner than you know, and before your lunchtime, you would have cravings for fatty and sugary food which can lead to weight gain.
It may cause hair fall
Having a bit of protein at the start of the day stimulates your hair follicles and nourishes your hair. If you skip breakfast, it can have adverse effects on the keratin levels which can lead to hair fall.
Slows down the body’s metabolism
If you consistently skip breakfast, your body tends to get accustomed to this practice. So in order to preserve the fuel till your next meal ( supposedly in the afternoon), it slows down the metabolism of the body.
It may increase the risk of many prolblems such as Type 2 Diabetes
In a study conducted by the American Standard of Nutrition, it was found that people who skip the morning meal are at a higher risk of getting Type 2 diabetes than the ones who eat their breakfast regularly.
Can cause Migraine
The morning breakfast is consumed usually after a break of 10 to 15 hours as we sleep during the night. This state of long fasting reduces blood sugar levels. Now as we miss breakfast too, the body releases a certain type of hormones which compensates for the low sugar levels. These hormones can impact the body by causing headaches and migraines.
Fatigue and lack of concentration
Naturally, if the energy levels are low, the body feels tired and the mind is not able to concentrate in the meetings, class lectures, or any other important activities.
Impact social life
Since the concentration is limited, people are not able to drive results, meet targets, chase deadlines, etc, which takes a toll on their social life.
Importance of Breakfast – 5 Reasons you must not miss it
Let us now have a look at the top 5 reasons why you should not skip breakfast and have healthy meals every morning.
1. Provides You Essential Nutrients – importance of breakfast
A large portion of your daily nutrition is provided by the breakfast itself. In reality, people who eat breakfast are more likely to fulfill their daily vitamin and mineral requirements than those who do not.
Your morning meal is enriched with nutrients that your body requires to function properly throughout the day. Food is the only way to get nutrients like folate, iron, Vitamins, fiber, and other necessities.
2. Keeps Your Heart Happy – importance of breakfast
Breakfast does more than just keep you energized. It also supports a good heart by preventing diabetes, lowering blood pressure, and reducing obesity too. Breakfast skippers have higher cholesterol levels, which is a significant risk factor for heart diseases.
3. Boosts Your Immunity – importance of breakfast
Your best choice is to eat a variety of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich foods. To eat a nutritious breakfast, you can include a bowl of poha, upma, idli, eggs.
Eggs, for instance, are highly popular and are amazing for breakfast. In addition to keeping you full, eggs are great for your skin too no matter how they are prepared.
There are a variety of other healthy breakfast foods that can be beneficial.
4. Keeps Your Energy High – importance of breakfast
A healthy breakfast is one that maintains a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. Eating foods with these components will boost your energy levels.
Actually, the glycogen reserves (which store energy) are minimal in the morning after long fasting for a couple of hours. People who skip their breakfast have a lower level of energy throughout the day.
Breakfast regenerates the glycogen reserves, which provide instant energy to your muscles.
5. Strengthens Your Mind – importance of breakfast
Every morning, your brain requires a fresh supply of glucose (blood sugar) to start the day after long fasting.
Breakfast deprivation has an effect on mental health, including focus, concentration, and memory. You won’t be able to catch new thoughts and ideas. (Wink Wink – So if your child is not able to focus in the class and understands very little in the class, you know what to do. The same goes true for you as you too need concentration and attention at your workplace to come up with fresh ideas )
This can make certain things feel more difficult than they actually are.
Why people miss it even after knowing the importance of breakfast
Morning times are full of chaos. Most people who skip this most important meal of the day do so because of multiple reasons. Here are a few –
- They do not have enough time left in the morning as they have a train to catch.
- They think it will save them a few calories.
- They don’t want to cook meals in the morning
- Ready food not available to them.
A few words from CityMom
The importance of breakfast cannot be emphasized more. Some people may not feel like eating up in the morning, but it is important that they still do. The nutrients and fuel are required by their growing bodies.
Breakfast is very important for good health and weight management, and skipping it, is a bad idea. Even if you are short of time, the least you can do is just grab a fruit and have a glass of milk. Here are some quick and healthy snacks you can prepare in a jiffy and start your day.
