Why Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal? Here Are 5 Reasons
You’ve heard that eating breakfast is important, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still the easiest meal to skip. First thing in the morning most people are trying to rush out the door and don’t have time to cook and clean up after a full meal. To make matters worse, breakfast is the least social meal of the day making it a tempting one for dieters to skip without anyone caring or noticing.
But there are plenty of healthy breakfast options available that are easy to make (or grab) to get your day started off right. By making your morning meal a priority you can enjoy better health, a slimmer waistline, and a better outlook on the day ahead among other benefits.
1. Boost of brainpower
Breakfast can help you think clearer. | iStock.com
Days when you have a heavy workload, a big meeting, or an important interview may be the best time to eat a full morning meal. Studies have shown that your ability to learn and recall information may be improved after a healthy breakfast. Breakfast can also help retain and sustain your memory, which is beneficial when you have an intense day of school or work ahead of you.
2. Weight loss
Eating a morning meal can help you reach weight-loss goals. | iStock.com
Struggling to lose weight or maintain your current weight? Breakfast may be the key to easier weight management. In one recent study, people who made breakfast their largest meal of the day lost an average of 17.8 pounds over a three-month period. Other participants in the study who ate the same number of daily calories but ate a majority of their calories at dinner lost an average of 7.3 pounds over the same period of time.
3. Avoid mid-morning cravings
Eating early on means you won’t crave a 10 a.m. doughnut.| iStock.com
If you’re trying to cut calories, you may think that skipping breakfast can help you reach your weight loss goals. Unfortunately, by cutting out a healthy, nutritional packed breakfast, you’re increasing the chances of when hunger finally hits at 10 a.m. that you’ll grab an unhealthy mid-morning snack. While you may be thinking clearly enough in the morning to steer clear of sugar and complex carbohydrates, by mid-morning your starving breakfast-deprived self may reach for the nearest source of calories, which are most likely high in sugar, fat, and salt.
4. Get your nutrients
Breakfast is often filled with produce, so eat up. | iStock.com/Elenathewise
Your body needs a certain amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber, calories, and fat to function properly. By eating breakfast, you get a jump-start on meeting these requirements for the day and if you make healthy choices, can influence the way you eat the rest of the day. According to Mayo Clinic, people who eat breakfast also tend to eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
5. Metabolism boost
The sooner you eat, the sooner your metabolism will get going. | iStock
Your metabolism converts the foods you eat and the beverages you consume into energy to keep you going throughout the day. After a long night’s sleep with no eating or drinking, your metabolism will have slowed down. When you eat breakfast, you are jump-starting your metabolism and getting it revved up for the day ahead. A faster metabolism allows you to burn more calories throughout the day, which leads to weight loss.
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