Your mother was right all along – breakfast actually is the most important meal of the day.
Most of the current official nutritional guidelines even recommend that one eats breakfast daily and it is claimed that by skipping it one is raising the risk of obesity.
Studies have shown that those who eat breakfast tend to be healthy with a lower chance of being overweight or obese and also have a low risk of numerous chronic diseases. There is an increased likelihood that those who eat breakfast have a healthier diet as they consume more fibre and micronutrients.
It is advisable to take breakfast each day to curtail these health effects.
The drop of Blood Sugar Level.
Breakfast is literally meant to mean ‘breaking the fast’ from the time you’ve spent asleep throughout the night. Eating in the morning helps to restore glycogen and stabilize the levels of insulin. By ignoring and not replenishing your glucose levels in the morning you will end up feeling overly hungry, irritable, and fatigued. These symptoms are the first thing you’ll experience in the morning especially if you skip your morning meal.
Slows Down of Metabolism.
Some evidence suggests that by eating breakfast you can encourage your body to burn more calories throughout the day. When you don’t eat any food for a long period of time, your body begins to store as many calories as it can, in order to prepare for a potential period of starvation. As metabolism levels slow down, the body even turns to the glucose which is stored in your muscles as a backup source of fuel, which effectively means that your muscles waste away.
Increase Stress Hormone Levels.
Eating breakfast can have a positive effect on cortisol – the primary ‘stress hormone’ which is produced by adrenal glands. The levels of cortisol are highest at around 7 am in the morning, which is why it’s important to eat something so that you can bring the hormone levels back down. When cortisol levels are too high, you will most likely feel anxious or jittery.
Increased Risk of Heart Disease.
By regularly skipping morning meals you are more susceptible to weight gain and at an increased risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. A study over the length of sixteen years found that men who skipped breakfast daily were twenty-seven percent more likely to experience heart attacks or have coronary heart disease as the cause of their death.
One of the most common reasons that people avoid eating breakfast in the mornings is because they simply don’t feel hungry. If one can relate to this, it is better to start the day with a milkshake or a healthy smoothie instead. Aim to keep a dinner portion sizes small and cut back on alcohol and any snacks just before sleeping, so one can work towards building a healthier routine.
