The skipping breakfast brigade is strong these days. Are you someone who skips, or has breakfast?
Some common reasons why people believe breakfast is beneficial:
"It boosts your metabolism"
"Energy for the day ahead"
"Fills you up, and prevents you from overeating later in the day"
Cereals companies have done a good job in delivering these messages, as approximately 80% of people regularly consume breakfast which are typically cereal and milk based.
Influencers online have been reasoning for skipping breakfast is commonly based on the fallacy that by skipping a meal, you therefore, reduce your energy intake, and every other confounding variable stays consistent.
How does it play out???
Lean people who consume breakfast... consume more energy within a 24 hour period.
However, people who consume breakfast, tend to expend more energy through light activity throughout the day, for example, walking more steps, fidgeting and training.
As you can see in this study, similar energy intakes were observed in obese individuals...
And, similar energy expenditure responses observed in obese individuals...
Observational and experimental data suggests that breakfast plays little, if any effect on net energy balance and therefore, body weight changes.
" So. Merely telling someone to skip breakfast to prevent and/or reverse obesity is not going to cut it. "
If anything, breakfast consumption could benefit health, due to higher energy turnover / physical activity associated with its consumption.
Recommendations:
From a body composition standpoint... consume breakfast if and when suits you.
It is great too If you skip breakfast as a method to reduce energy intake but make sure that you maintain your output...Otherwise, the benefits of skipping your breakfast could be negligible.
Use wearable technology (iPhones or any other smart watches) to monitor your activities and try to maintain the intensity of your exercise sessions.
Conclusion:
Having said all this, if you love love love your breakfast, and you’re healthy, then enjoy! If you’re struggling with a metabolic medical problem, consider a breakfast of water, tea, or coffee and then have a healthy lunch. Or, at the very least, try not to eat close to bedtime. Whatever your preferred schedule, try to stretch out the time between meals, and give your body a chance to burn fat. Your metabolism will thank you!
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