Do you skip breakfast? Maybe it’s because you’re running late for work. Perhaps you’re not that hungry when you wake up. Or maybe you’re just trying to lose weight. Whatever your reason, it’s not a good idea. As it has been stated over and over again, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Below are five reasons why you should never skip breakfast.
1. Lack of vitamins and minerals
If you eat breakfast regularly every morning, you’re adding valuable vitamins and minerals to your daily diet. A good nutritional breakfast, such as a whole-grain English muffin with peanut butter or a veggie omelet, offers you a nice dose of protein and few calories from fat. You’re also incorporating important nutrients such as vitamin A and B vitamins.
2. Makes you more hungry
Skipping breakfast may cause you to feel famished throughout the day leading you to snack on unhealthy food or to eat bigger lunches and dinners. A healthy breakfast does not require a lot of time or energy. Even if you’re on the go and don’t have time in the morning, grabbing something as simple as a piece of fruit, hard-boiled eggs, or even some Greek yogurt can satiate your hunger until lunchtime.
3. Breaks down energy
Some people choose to skip breakfast because they’re on a diet and wish to cut calories. This is counterproductive because your body craves energy. If you’re not fueling your body, it will begin to look for energy in the form of glycogen which comes from your lean, muscle fiber. In the morning, you’re waking up from a long sleep which means your body had been at rest. It doesn’t have much energy and very little fuel. Breakfast will give you the fuel or energy you need for the day as you go to work or if you’re going to work out before your day starts.
4. Increases the risk of heart disease
Eliminating breakfast from your morning routine can also increase your risk for heart disease and high blood pressure. One reason is that you might eat foods heavy in saturated fats and carbohydrates for lunch and dinner to overcompensate. In fact, a study published in Circulation reports that men who skipped breakfast had almost a 30 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) than men who didn’t skip breakfast.
5. Slows down your metabolism
Breakfast is a great way to get your metabolism up and running which can encourage your body to burn more calories during the day. If you avoid breakfast, your body launches into protection mode, and begins to store as many calories as possible. If you’re on a diet, watch your portion size in the morning. You may even want to consider smaller meals throughout the day beginning with breakfast. Research has shown that eating frequent small meals helps keep your cholesterol levels lower and is better for metabolic stability.
Eating breakfast every morning will kickstart your day in the right direction. But choose foods that you enjoy because if you don’t like what you’re eating, you may not stick with it.
