An estimated 40 percent of Americans skip breakfast each morning, according to ABC News in 2005. The controversy that surrounds the breakfast issue causes debate among experts. Some people do not feel hungry in the morning, and others do not have time to eat. A variety of reasons exist for not eating breakfast, but the evidence supporting its consumption should make breakfast skippers reconsider their options.
Breakfast Builds Healthy Eating Momentum
People who eat breakfast in the morning eat healthier meals throughout the day, according to MayoClinic.com. The connection between breakfast and healthier eating may be related to the steady glucose supply the body experiences and the decreased desire to snack on unhealthy foods that results from eating in the morning. A low blood glucose level promotes cravings that may include unhealthy foods.
Improves Nutrient Intake
Eating breakfast is an opportunity to eat foods that fulfills your nutrient requirements. If you consider that most people eat only three significant meals in a given day, and you voluntarily skip one of them, you are eliminating 1/3 of the vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals your body needs to function. Typical breakfast foods, such as fruit, whole grain cereals, yogurt and juice, are nutritionally significant foods your body can benefit from.
Sustains Energy
While you sleep at night, your body uses the energy from the food you ate during the previous day to run its basic functions, such as breathing and the heartbeat. In the morning, the blood's glucose level has lowered and needs additional fuel. Eating breakfast is important for refueling and sustaining energy throughout the morning necessary for physical, mental and emotional balance.
Students
In a 2008 study of high school students by researchers from the Centre for Neuroscience and Learning and the Institute of Epidemiology, Ulm University in Germany, those who ate breakfast reported alertness and a positive attitude compared with the group that fasted in the mornings. A Harvard School of Public health study in 2010, found that students who ate breakfast scored higher on cognitive exercises, including short-term memory and spatial cognition skill assessments.
References
- ABCNews; Poll: What Americans Eat for Breakfast; May 2005
- "Pediatrics"; Influence of Having Breakfast on Cognitive Performance and Mood in 13- to 20-Year-Old High School Students: Results of a Crossover Trial; Katharina Widenhorn-Müller, PhD, et al; August 2008
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; The Glycaemic Potency of Breakfast and Cognitive Function in School Children; R. Micha, et al; September 2007
- Mayo Clinic; Why Does Eating Breakfast Help Control Weight? Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; July 2009
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