Is It Necessary To Have Breakfast?
The claim that breakfast is necessary for a healthy diet has raised serious doubts for some time. The need and importance of the first meal of the day had a great push from the food industry in its initial moment. Not surprisingly, it is the only meal of the day that has foods specially indicated for her. Let’s see what’s new on this topic.
Is breakfast necessary?
Today we can say that there is no meal of the day that is essential. The truth is that many of the studies related to the benefits of eating breakfast are observational.
What does this mean? It has been observed that people who eat breakfast tend to have a better state of health, but it has not been possible to prove that the cause is breakfast.
The important thing in terms of food is what we end up eating at the end of the day. That the amount is adequate to our energy needs and that, in addition, it is made up of healthy foods. As almost always, in food issues there is no single formula that is valid for all people.
The advice to eat 5 meals a day may be valid for some people, but for others it may be enough to concentrate the entire intake on two larger meals.
Therefore, it is necessary to leave behind the idea of an ideal diet, to adapt healthy individualized eating habits for each person.
What happens if we skip breakfast?
Some people get up in the morning and do not feel hungry or want to eat breakfast, or they can extend their breakfast a little by having a coffee or an infusion first thing in the morning.
This does not mean that they will have a worse physical performance or more tiredness in the morning. Nor that they are going to rob the refrigerator at lunchtime. Each person must know their body and its needs, and adapt their meals to them.
Even benefits have been observed in the habit of skipping breakfast. These have been studied in some people who follow intermittent fasting protocols. Sometimes the 8-hour food windows mean skipping breakfast or delaying it for a few hours.
Although it is advisable to concentrate meals during the day, no harm has been seen in those who ate their meals late at night. It is just as positive to have a breakfast and a lunch, than an early lunch and dinner.
Breakfast in weight loss diets
If we are dieting to lose weight, is breakfast necessary?… Eating breakfast is one of the most widespread and common tips among dietitians.
Although little by little other visions are imposed, it has always been believed that eating often helped to not arrive so hungry to the next meal AND promoted a constant energy expenditure.
These beliefs have been gradually fading. Some studies have found that eating little and often does not accelerate weight loss. On the contrary, skipping breakfast could be beneficial because it would reduce your total calorie intake.
There is even data that shows that starting to eat breakfast can increase the number of total calories consumed in those people who did not have this habit.
At the very least, we must be cautious when recommending eating breakfast to lose weight, as it could have the opposite effect. You always have to consider the characteristics and particular needs of each one.
When is it advisable to have breakfast?
When we don’t get to eat enough
Skipping breakfast does not have to be synonymous with eating less, or being malnourished. As we have commented, it is very important that food intake is balanced throughout the day.
Therefore, breakfast will be necessary if throughout the day we are not able to eat everything that our body requires to function well.
If we have digestive problems
It is not advisable to eat very large meals when we suffer from problems such as gastritis, slow digestion, hiatal hernia or if we do not have a gallbladder. In these cases, taking a meal in the morning, and even a small snack in the middle of the morning can be very positive.
When we end up eating anything
If we get up in the morning with little time and little hunger, and in the middle of the morning we go straight to the machine for a snack. So, you need to start having breakfast at home or plan a mid-morning break to introduce healthy foods.
If we have spent the night
If we wake up without hunger in the morning because at night we have eaten more than necessary or have eaten anything before going to bed, it will be better to correct the dinners in terms of quality and quantity of food. In this way, surely, little by little we will get hungrier during the morning.
If we are going to have breakfast, make it healthy
The evidence seems clear: there is nothing special about breakfast. If we get up and we are hungry in the morning, or we believe that having breakfast can improve our diet, we are going to eat a healthy breakfast.
Improving breakfast in terms of quality and variety of food is very important. It is necessary to take advantage of all the advances that have been made in this regard, to work on healthy eating habits in general.
Breakfast is a good time to introduce certain important foods and nutrients in our health:
- Nuts. They are a good source of protein and minerals, especially for vegans. Also, we should not worry about their fats, as they have a healthy lipid profile.
- Oat flakes, whole grain flakes or whole wheat bread. They are a good source of fiber, if it is difficult for us to reach the fruit and vegetable rations.
- Eggs, yogurt, cheese, or tofu. They should be the source of protein in the morning.
- Fruits and vegetables, to accompany our muesli or our toasts.
How necessary is breakfast? Perhaps we have exaggerated the importance of this first meal of the day, although it is clear that it must be healthy if we want to take care of our health. Keep that in mind!
