Why Breakfast is Important

Why is breakfast considered to be the most important meal of the day? We’ve broken down the main reasons why you should be eating breakfast everyday. We’ve also included our best tips on making sure breakfast is part of your daily routine.

Breakfast literally means “breaking the fast”. After 7-9 hours sleep, our blood sugars are naturally low and eating breakfast will restock your energy stores. The risk we have if we skip breakfast is that we will likely overcompensate later in the day with snacks and larger meals late at night. Eating your largest meal of the day late at night is not good for weight management and our digestive systems.

Along with better weight management, there are number of key reasons why breakfast is the most important meal of the day:

  1. Heart Disease. Skipping breakfast is associated with an increased risk for obesity, metabolic syndrome, elevated triglycerides, high LDL-cholesterol, and low HDL-cholesterol (all risk factors for cardiovascular disease).
  2. Brain Power.  Breakfast is a necessary fuel for your body but also your brain. Eating a healthy breakfast will help improve your concentration and productivity during the day. Breakfast can also help to regulate your moods.
  3. Increase the risk for diabetes. There is a wide body of evidence showing that consuming breakfast regularly can protect against type 2 diabetes. A large meta-analysis of studies found that people who skip breakfast have a 15% to 21% higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those people who eat breakfast regularly.
  4. Bone health. In a study following male Japanese medical students, skipping breakfast was identified as a major lifestyle factor that contributed to bone mineral density loss.

Our top tips for making sure you have enough time to eat breakfast:

  1. Set your alarm for 10 minutes earlier to fit in breakfast before you head out for the day
  2. Have some healthy The Good Meal Co breakfasts in your freezer for mornings you need to eat breakfast on the run, but still want a cooked breakfast.
  3. Make a portable breakfast to eat on the way to work or out for the day.
  4. Have some ‘easy to grab’ breakfasts, such as savoury muffins or zucchini slice in your fridge.

Homestyle Porridge with Fruit Compote

Some Tasty Breakfast Options:

  • Wholegrain toast with peanut butter, avocado and tomatoes or reduced fat ricotta.
  • Porridge with fresh fruit.
  • Fresh fruit and greek yoghurt.
  • Wholegrain cereals (stay away from sugary ones)
  • Fruit or vegetable juices and smoothies.
  • The Good Meal Co frozen breakfast options.

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