You’ve heard it all before… breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

We know there’s nothing new there.

We also know that when it comes to morning rituals, breakfast often misses out – running out the door as quickly as possible so the children arrive at school on time (or so that you get to that vital work meeting), commonly take precedence over an organised morning breakfast schedule.

We know from nutrition studies that ongoing avoidance of breakfast eating tends to promote weight gain, being overweight and also the likelihood of becoming obese. We also know that typical breakfast type foods contain an abundance of nutrients that are lacking in the diet when breakfast is avoided.

However with the popularity of fasting diets – that usually include a calorie controlled eating plan with two fasting days per week of only 200 calories- there is now more than ever an interest in whether we need to prioritise breakfast.

So is breakfast really the most important meal of the day and what happens to the body when we do eat it or for that matter, do not eat it?

In the average healthy person, when breakfast is missed there is a compensatory mechanism within the body that switches on, which most often will lead to subsequent meals such as lunch, dinner and all snacks being larger than usual, as a way for the body to get its expected food supply for that day.

There is also an increased likelihood of heart disease, blood sugar control issues and a lowered metabolic rate which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. The human body’s ability to switch on compensatory behaviours is extraordinary and one of the possible reasons we have evolved and survived for so many years.

However, there was a study conducted in 2016 on 24 obese individuals that was published in the International Journal of Obesity which is relevant for this topic. Although 24 subjects is a small sample size, the findings are fascinating. In the study, morning fasting was not associated with an increase in appetite or an increase in foods eaten throughout the day. Interestingly, there were also no gains in body weight or additional risks to heart health that are typically seen in healthy individuals (within the accepted healthy weight ranges).

One of the reasons for the lack of additional eating throughout the day in the obese adults is that their appetite hormones behaved differently. Ghrelin and leptin are the two main appetite hormones within the body, ghrelin is secreted by the stomach and leptin by fat cells. When we are hungry, there is a higher amount of ghrelin and when we are full there is more leptin. In the obese adults, there were other compensatory measures stimulated within the body.

Please note that although we have two main appetite hormones within the body, of course nothing inside the body happens in isolation and our hunger or fullness is determined by far more complicated systems, including an array of other hormones. However for our interests right now these two hormones are most relevant.

What does all of this mean? And is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

Breakfast is the first opportunity we have to greet ourself with the reward of nourishment. The vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre, antioxidants and beneficial fats that can be included in a healthy breakfast recipe are in many ways, the first conversation we have with our body in the morning. If we respect our body, the body will hopefully return that respect by delivering feelings of vitality and energy. For this reason, we should always prioritise breakfast.

However, the most important take out from this article is that we are a product of our hormones. Just because the example used in this incident was comparing healthy weighted individuals with obese individuals; we all have differences in our hormones.

We also all have different energy needs, nutrients and requirements. For almost all individuals, breakfast is essential to achieving optimal wellbeing. Yet there are cases when our individual hormones require something that may oppose traditional and popular nutrition theories.

It is also for this reason that when it comes to healthy eating or healthy living, consulting an expert in the area is best rather than adopting what is followed by the status quo.

For those of you wanting to eat breakfast, here are a few wholesome suggestions:

Baked oats with milk of your choice, blueberries and crushed pistachio nuts.
Steamed brown rice, braised tofu and broccoli.
Multigrain toast, mashed banana and a drizzle of tahini.
Banana smoothie (banana, milk, strawberries, psyllium, wheatgerm, cinnamon)
Dippy eggs (soft boiled eggs and toast) with a side of spinach.
Buckwheat groats, yogurt, kiwi, grated apple, cashews and walnuts.
Sweet potato, chopped heirloom tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado and ricotta cheese.
Roasted vegetables such as carrot, pumpkin, potato and beetroot with fried eggs cooked in olive oil.

Posted on July 17, 2018

Breakfast- Is it really needed?