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Good news: Breakfast isn’t the most important meal of the day. Want to know why? Because there is no scientific evidence proving so, or that any meal is more important than another for that matter! For years, we’ve been told that the best way to start off the day is with breakfast. Turns out though that nothing speeds up or slows down our metabolism. Scientists have shown that skipping breakfast doesn’t mean you will eat more during the day. 

It seems that for many years medical institutions have been allied with the food industry to promote the idea that breakfast is a vital part of our day in order to boost foods “believed” to be good for breakfast, like cereals and dairies. Of course, due to that belief people have bought more and more processed foods for breakfast. In Spain, the thought has always been that you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar. Is that how eating should be seen? It’s no wonder why both adults and children eat cookies, bread, donuts, sugary yogurts, and juices for breakfast… it would be better not to have breakfast! 

In this article in The Telegraph, Dr. James Betts, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition at the University of Bath, comments that the idea of breakfast being so good for us is an idea that arose from all the marketing surrounding many breakfast items when in actuality the benefits of breakfast haven’t even been studied correctly. Frankly, I don’t blame any parent for giving these foods to their children – or themselves – when their favorite TV or sports personality sponsor many of them. However, it is important to begin to create an awareness of who is sponsoring what products and to whom they are being sold because our health is at stake.

The discovery that breakfast isn’t the most important meal falls perfectly in line with living a healthy natural lifestyle because our ancestors clearly didn’t wake up every morning to grab a box of cereal with some milk. No, they ate what was available at that moment that day. The modern belief that we need to eat more and more is just something that’s been made up to sell us more food. I myself have stopped eating breakfast first thing in the morning some days, I go train and then come back to eat with my kids at around noon. And, how do I feel? Great! I don’t feel any different because I didn’t have breakfast.

Breakfast or No Breakfast? What this means for our daily routine. 

Everything falls under the following: If you like breakfast, then eat some; but, do it because you like to, not because you believe it’s the most important meal of the day. Of course, be sure that you choose quality foods, ones that you would include in any other meal of the day. 

Conversely, if you don’t like getting out of bed in the morning and heading straight to the kitchen table to eat a plate of eggs, not a problem! Just wait until your body feels hungry. 

What things should we remember if we like to have breakfast?

• Eat real foods: eggs, vegetables, fats, and fruits. 
• Avoid pre-made fruit juice as it’s pure sugar. Make your own at home where it retains its fiber and nutritional value. Even better you can opt for a smoothie where you use the whole fruit or simply eat the fruit by itself. Chewing signals the brain the sensation of feeling full which is SUPER IMPORTANT!
• Eat fats as they are a source of energy. Avocados, butter, Ghee, Coconut oil, and nuts. Fats give us the necessary energy we need for the day and allow us to feel full for longer. 

I must admit that I enjoy unraveling all the myths that we’ve been told by the food industry and lobbyists. I challenge you all to ask yourself, how many packaged foods are in your pantry now that you consider healthy, natural, and nutritious? Let me know in the comments below!