'Breakfast is the Most Important Meal' - Myth or Fact?

THERE ARE many of us who skip breakfast because we do not have enough time in the morning or because we are watching our calories and breakfast is the easiest meal to skip in a day, or because we use that time to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Some people say that considering breakfast as the most important meal of your day is really a myth. But there might be some science behind what our mothers used to say 0- "Don’t leave the house without eating in the morning!"

Between dinner and breakfast the next morning, there is a gap of 10 to 12 hours. During this time, our body has utilized its energy stores and it needs recharging and revamping so that it can produce energy, replenish the lost energy and function normally again. Breakfast performs this important function of recharging our body to help us get through the day. It sets the tone for our energy level for the whole day.

Some people skip breakfast to lose weight. But many research studies have shown otherwise -- Skipping breakfast actually leads to weight gain rather than weight loss. People who skip breakfast are so hungry by lunch time that they end up eating a lot more than they would if they did not skip breakfast. So the whole point of skipping breakfast is lost.

There is also another reason why skipping breakfast does not actually lead to weight loss. In my   I talked about metabolism, resting metabolic rate and basal metabolic rate. If we are regularly in the habit of skipping breakfast, our body thinks that there is no sufficient food available and kicks into starvation mode. It slows down the rate at which it would usually produce energy to perform a function - in essence, our basal metabolic rate and resting metabolic rate goes down. Our body is trying to conserve as much energy as it can during this starvation mode. We end up burning fewer calories than we used to, for even simple activities like sleeping, sitting, walking around the house etc. Though we consume  few hundred calories less each day, we burn far lesser calories than what we used to, the net effect being no weight loss or even some weight gain. Again, the whole purpose of skipping breakfas is totally lost.

WHEN TAKEN literally the word 'breakfast' means 'breaking the fast'. So when we have breakfast, the overnight fast of the body is broken, insulin is secreted to digest and absorb nutrients from our breakfast, our metabolism is warmed up to work and we continue to burn calories throughout the day. This also means we feel more energetic that helps us to work more efficiently.

The insulin secreted in response to us eating breakfast helps to regulate blood sugar levels, which is very important for a good metabolism and efficient functioning of our whole body, especially the brain. If your body is able to regulate your blood sugar properly, you are less likely to develop diseases like diabetes. Studies have repeatedly shown that people who have breakfast are better able to regulate their blood sugar levels than people who skip breakfast on a regular basis.

Another good thing about eating breakfast is that it keeps you in a good mood. When you are fed and not hungry, you are less likely to be grumpy and moody.

One last thing to add here is that be conscious of what your are eating for breakfast. A good breakfast should include protein and fiber (not just the sugar-sweetened cereal). If you are uncomfortable eating too much in the morning, divide the breakfast into meals - have a small cup of yogurt before you leave to work and a couple of hours later snack on some protein like walnuts or pecans.

A step to take in the right direction is to make it a point to eat breakfast from today - Breakfast is an important meal of the day, even if not the most important!

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Srilekha Karunanithi of Kirkland is a Master's student in Nutritional Sciences at University of Washington who is training to become a Registered Dietitian. Her master’s program focuses on the influences of diet on health and how positive dietary changes help in the control and prevention of many diseases.