It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and doctors and nutritionists from across the globe speak of having a nutritious meal upon waking up. The importance of having a healthy meal in the morning is in the name itself, as you are literally breaking your fast of 7-8 hours. Skipping breakfast repeatedly or consuming a poor breakfast can impact both your physical and mental health. If your sole purpose of skipping breakfast is to lose weight, then you are in for a rude surprise, as research has proven that skipping breakfast has little to no impact on weight loss. So, how important is breakfast and what happens to your body when you skip it?
Your body’s reaction to skipping breakfast:
Firstly, skipping breakfast is known to drastically impact the functioning of your body. Skipping breakfast can cause acid reflux, headaches, lack of concentration, low energy levels due to lower than average blood sugar levels, anxiety, and sugar cravings, just to name a few. Skipping breakfast can put your body into a catabolic state for a longer duration, as your body then breaks down muscle tissue to use as fuel, as opposed to using stored glycogen in the body. Over time, this can lead to anemia, weakness, a drop in haemoglobin and all sorts of health complications. Having a healthy breakfast is especially important for diabetics, as it can help them maintain stable blood glucose levels and thus stable energy levels all throughout the day.
How important is your first meal of the day:
Since breakfast is the first meal of the day and your body is craving nutritious food, you must ensure that you fuel yourself up for the day ahead. Mornings are usually when your body’s metabolism rate is at its highest, and doctors and nutritionists recommend consuming 15–25% of your daily calories through breakfast alone. Not only does a nutritious breakfast stabilise our blood-glucose levels, but it also keeps your energy levels stable and is also known to promote good gut health, maintaining optimum HDL and LDL cholesterol in the body and a marked improvement in mood. If you have been told that skipping breakfast can result in weight loss, then you are highly mistaken. Over time, when your body doesn’t get the calories that it needs to carry out its day-to-day functions, it goes into a survival mode by reducing its resting caloric burn. This alone is sufficient to cause health issues such as hormonal imbalances, weight gain, irritability, and lots more.
What should you include in your breakfast:
A healthy breakfast is one that contains all the 3 macronutrients, protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates, both fiberous and non-fiberous. If waking up early to meal prep sounds inconvenient to you, then you can look at healthier breakfast options that you can carry on the go, such as boiled eggs, protein bars, protein shakes, a whole wheat sandwich, peanut butter, nuts and seeds, etc. Ensure that you make it a point to consume sufficient calories before starting your day, as this will not just help keep your energy levels high, but will promote good health and hormone levels all throughout the day.
So there you have it, the importance of the first meal of the day simplified for you. Do keep following us for more of these health and wellness tips.
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