Home Articles Why You Shouldn’t Skip Breakfast

  • We’ve all heard the famous saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. So why, then, are we not always hungry when we wake up? Is the traditional breakfast about to disappear from our routines? Maybe. But breakfast should not be so easily overlooked because it is, indeed, the most important meal. Breakfast lifts your mood!

    The key word is flexibility! Waiting before you eat does not mean skipping your meal…

    Why You’re Not Hungry in the Morning

    Many reasons can cause a complete or partial absence of hunger in the morning, especially when you just woke up.

    GOOD TO KNOW: Certain bad habits such as midnight snacking or eating your last meal very late in the evening can interfere with your hunger signals.

    Furthermore, whether you like it or not, your body enters a fasting state every night at different levels depending on when you last ate. When you sleep, your liver sends out glucose, a necessary sugar for the maintenance of your body. In the morning, a cocktail of hormones is then released to prepare your body for the day.

    Those hormones promote glucose secretion and can therefore provoke a morning hyperglycemia or, in other words, an increase in blood sugar levels. This phenomenon contributes to the absence of appetite and can even cause morning sickness.

    Is It Good to Eat in the Morning?

    Yes! Eating in the morning allows you to control your hunger better during the day. Moreover, if you regularly eat breakfast, you increase your chances of having a better diet in general while also consuming more fibers.

    Indeed, many foods usually eaten in the morning are rich in fibers , like many multigrain products, fruits, nuts,  seeds, cereals and many more.

    Eating breakfast helps children focus in school! However, skipping breakfast has detrimental effets on cognitive performance. It also increases hunger at lunch time while decreasing variety in people’s diets. But don’t get excited and eat too much! A breakfast that’s too big and rich in calories is also reduce your concentration.

    Just like anything else in nutrition, it’s never quite black or white, but rather somewhere in the shades of grey!

    How to Eat Healthy in the Morning

    Your breakfast’s composition might have an influence on your mood! For an ideal composition, you’ll need enough carbohydrates, protein as well as a low quantity of lipids. Of course, you also want a good source of fibers such as wholegrains or fruits to complete your breakfast.

    1. For a complete breakfast, follow these proportions

    It should contain between:

    • 15 and 30 g of protein;
    • 10 and 15 g of lipids;
    • 45 and 75 g of carbohydrates;
    • 8 to 10 g of fibers (but the more the better!).

    2. Listen to your body when you eat

    It’s also important to listen to your body and wait until you feel hungry to eat. You shouldn’t force yourself to have a meal in order to be healthy. Some people like a routine (or must have one due to familial obligations!) and want guidelines, while others are more intuitive. Either way, no need to feel guilty!

    3. Make your breakfast the night before

    You can always prep your breakfast the night before. Try an on the go overnight oatmeal that you can eat whenever you have time. You can also eat breakfast after you’ve finished your whole morning routine to have more time between the moment you wake up and your meal.

    Healthy Breakfast Ideas

    Here are some ideas for your breakfasts!

    • Overnight oatmeal topped with fresh fruits that will help you feel great during your day.
    • Yogurt with an homemade granola (or a shop-bought one with good nutritional values) to start your day off right.
    • 1 egg on a whole grain toast with a fruit salad as a side for slow mornings.
    • 1 homemade breakfast bar , a piece of cheese and a fruit on the go.