Over the last decade, a wealth of research has concluded that breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. In fact, not only does breakfast have a great deal of health benefits, skipping breakfast can actually be a serious detriment to your body. However, it’s very important to eat a healthy breakfast that contains protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals[1]. A healthy breakfast can be something as simple as egg whites with whole grain toast and a glass of orange juice.
If you are inconsistent with eating breakfast each morning, then check out the following list of reasons why you should never skip breakfast again:
Nutrient Intake: Eating breakfast goes a long way to meeting the daily required intake of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron and more[2].
Energy: Eating a healthy breakfast can provide the much needed energy boost to power you through your morning. It wakes up your body like a warm-up does before an exercise session. Breakfast can also give you the energy need to engage in an early morning physical activity like running, weight lifting or sports.
Focus: Eating a healthy breakfast has been proven to help improve your overall focus and concentration at work or school. A recent study showed that students experienced significant academic improvements due to daily breakfast consumption[3].
Decreases Hunger: A recent study showed that you can experience less hunger cravings during the morning hours if you eat a healthy breakfast that includes some lean protein like eggs[4].
Reduces Poor Choices: Eating a healthy breakfast each morning will help to prevent you from making poor food choices. Many individuals either wake up late or are in a hurry each morning. Skipping breakfast can lead to an increased feeling of hunger within a short period of time. This increased hunger could cause you to grab something on the go, which is typically something convenient like a donut. If you are dieting, or trying to eat healthy, making poor food choices is a diet killer.
Weight Management: Over the years, research has shown a direct link between eating breakfast and weight control. A study in 2003 showed that individuals who skipped breakfast were 4-times more likely to become obese than those who ate a daily breakfast[5]. 10 years later, in 2013, another study confirmed these findings and also stated that a daily breakfast helps to significantly lower other metabolic conditions in addition to the risk of obesity[6].
Blood Sugar: Eating a healthy breakfast on a daily basis also helps to improve your blood sugar levels[7]. Blood sugar problems could lead to more serious health conditions like type 2 Diabetes.
Cholesterol: Eating a healthy breakfast daily can lead to better cholesterol levels. Research has showed that people who skip breakfast are more likely to have worse cholesterol levels than those who eat a healthy breakfast[8].
[1] http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/breakfast.htm
[2] http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/benefits_of_eating_breakfast
[3] http://www.breakfastfirst.org/pdfs/HealthAndAcademicBenefits.pdf
[4] Wayne Campbell, PhD, associate professor, department of foods and nutrition, Purdue University. Leidy, H., Obesity Research, 2007; vol 15: pp 421-429.
[5] http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/158/1/85.full
[6] http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2013/06/03/dc13-0316.abstract
[7] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2824987.stm
[8] http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/81/2/388.abstract?cited-by=yes&legid=ajcn;81/2/388
