We’ve all heard the saying ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’, but is that actually true and if so, why?
There’s a lot of evidence that proves why breakfast is so important and that the saying ‘breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper’ could actually be a motto to pay more attention to than you may have thought!
So, why is breakfast so important for our health, our lifestyles and our waistlines?
Breaking the Overnight Fast
You may have wondered before why the first meal of the day is known as breakfast but it’s actually because it is breaking the fast you have done overnight.
We don’t eat in our sleep (unless you’re part of the 1-3% of the population that suffer from Sleep Related Eating Disorder) so the time you’re asleep is considered a fasting period, so when you wake up and eat, you are ending that fasting period and re-nourishing the body.
What Does Eating Breakfast Do for the Body?
So many people choose to skip breakfast or use it as a meal to cut the calories but there are actually some important reasons you need to eat breakfast – as it really does set your body up for the day.
Breakfast provides essential fuel and energy for your body going forward into the day ahead, including vitamins, minerals and glucose, all of which are essential for giving the body and brain enough energy to work at the optimum level.
Eating breakfast is proven to improve cognitive performance, concentration and alertness as the body has been properly fuelled.
Why Breakfast is Important for Dieting?
If you’re watching your waistline then you may have considered boycotting breakfast altogether to save calories for later in the day but ditching your first meal could actually set you off on a downward spiral for the rest of the day.
Starting your day off with no fuel is likely to leave you experiencing cravings mid-morning making you more likely to reach for high sugar and high calorie snacks and drinks to re-energise yourself quickly.
Reaching for these kinds of products ruins your meal plan for the day at the first hurdle. Whereas if you factor in a healthy breakfast to start the day, you’re more likely to make it to lunch without needing to snack and your body will have got the energy it needs for a productive morning!
Healthy Breakfast Ideas
It is recommended that your breakfast is between 300-400 calories, no matter what your daily calorie allowance, as that is a satisfactory amount for providing enough fuel for the day ahead but still leaves plenty of calories for throughout the rest of the day.
It is also recommended that you eat breakfast within two hours of waking up to fit it into your day and get the benefits of the meal into your system.
So, what’s for breakfast?
If you’re looking for healthy breakfast inspiration, why not check out the 15 healthy breakfast ideas we shared on the blog? There’s everything from smoothies to porridge ideas, cooked breakfasts to spruced up bowls of cereal, so there’s something to suit everyone!
If you weren’t convinced before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, hopefully, you understand the benefits of starting off the day with a full stomach now!
