"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
This myth is pervasive in society.
Breakfast is perceived as Howdy and also more important of all other meals, but is that really the case?
Even today's official nutrition guidelines recommend doing it ALWAYS ; it is claimed that it helps us lose weight and that skipping it can increase the risk of obesity!
This article looks at this question in detail and whether skipping this meal will really damage your health and make you fat.
Index
WE TEND TO HAVE HEALTHIER HABITS
True, many studies show that those who eat breakfast tend to be healthier. For example, they are less likely to be in overweight or obese and have a lower risk of several chronic diseases.
This is why many experts have said that breakfast is good for you. However, these studies show that people who eat breakfast are more likely to be healthier, but they cannot prove that breakfast itself brings these benefits!
People who do also tend to eat a healthier diet (some recipes fit here), with more fibers and micronutrients. On the other hand, people who skip it tend to smoke more, drink more alcohol, and exercise less.
DO NOT INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM
Some people say that eating breakfast “activates” the metabolism, but this is a myth. These people refer to the thermic effect of food, that is, the increase in calories burned that occurs after eating.
However, what matters for the metabolism is the total amount of food consumed during the day; it makes no difference what time or how often you eat.
Studies show that there is no difference in calories burned in 24 hours between people who eat and those who skip it.
SKIPPING DOES NOT CAUSE WEIGHT INCREASE
As mentioned above, people who skip breakfast tend to weigh more of the people who do it.
This may seem paradoxical, because how is it possible that not eating makes you fat more?
Well, some argue that they skip breakfast makes you very hungry, so we tend to eat more during the day.
This it seems to make sense, but it is not supported by the evidence.
It is true that skipping breakfast causes people to be hungrier and eat more at lunch, but this is not enough to make up for the skipped breakfast.
In fact, some studies have even shown that skipping breakfast can reduce calorie intake total up to 400 calories per day.
This seems logical, because you are effectively removing an entire meal from your diet each day.
IS IT OPTIONAL?
The evidence is clear, there is nothing "special" in the breakfast itself.
It probably doesn't matter if you eat in the morning or not, as long as you eat healthy for the rest of the day. Breakfast does not “jump start” your metabolism and skipping it doesn't automatically make you overeat and gain weight.
At the end of the day, the breakfast is optional and it all comes down to personal preferences.
Are you curious if the athletes of the Games do it? We have talked about in a dedicated article!
And what do you think of breakfast? Do you do it every morning or do you skip it every now and then? Let us know in the comments and remember to follow us on our Telegram channel
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