It's no secret that breakfast is widely considered "the most important meal of the day." However, it may be hard to pinpoint how breakfast earned this illustrious title over lunch and dinner. From weight management to boosting focus and concentration, a healthy breakfast has a number of benefits that justify its place as the day's most crucial meal.
Weight Control
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight significantly reduces your risk of hypertension, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, many people struggle with maintaining the results they achieve from dieting, says James Hill of the University of Colorado. In a paper published in the summer 2003 issue of "Permanente Journal," Hill says that people who are able to lose weight and keep it off tend to eat breakfast nearly every day. Starting the day off with a healthy breakfast keeps your metabolism churning and your appetite under control throughout the day.
Cognition
Skipping breakfast has deleterious effects on mental performance, says University of California Davis' E. Pollitt. In research found in the April 1998 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," Pollitt states that children who skip breakfast tend to have worse attendance and learning abilities than children that regularly eat breakfast. Not eating breakfast in the morning can cause blood sugar crashes, limiting the amount of energy your brain has available for hard work.
Heart Disease
Waking up to a bowl of whole-grain cereal or old-fashioned oats can significantly slash your heart disease risk, Harvard University says. A hearty breakfast reduces LDL cholesterol levels, an important heart disease risk factor. Additionally, the appetite-suppressing effects of breakfast can prevent obesity -- a condition that often precedes heart disease. In addition to whole grains, healthy breakfast choices include fruit, low-fat yogurt and egg whites.
Insulin
Making your cells more sensitive to the hormone insulin can stave off type 2 diabetes. Dashing off to work without breakfast decreases insulin sensitivity, according to the University of Nottingham's Hamid R. Farshchi. In research in the February 2005 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," Farshchi says that breakfast skippers had higher insulin levels throughout the day compared to those who ate a healthy breakfast.
References
- Permanente Journal: The National Weight Control Registry
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Breakfast and Cognition: An Integrative Summary
- Harvard University: A Healthy Breakfast May Protect Against Heart Disease
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Deleterious Effects of Omitting Breakfast on Insulin Sensitivity and Fasting Lipid Profiles in Healthy Lean Women
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