You’ve heard it your whole life, “Breakfast is the most important meal of your day.” You bought in. I bought in. We all did. Why would you not?!? You heard it from your mom, school, doctors, and books. Did you ever question why? Most of you probably didn’t. Or if you did, maybe your mom had no idea except that is what she was told.

Let’s “break” it down a little. Pun totally intended. 😆

“Break-Fast”

Breakfast was simply named for what you are doing. Breaking your overnight fast. Why do we want to break our fast? (Sound like a trending topic…..intermittent fasting… cough cough.)

Without breakfast your body goes into conservation mode. What does your body use as fuel? Glucose. What happens when you don’t provide your body with fuel? It panics. Like full on panic attack mode. (This is where people’s opinions vary, but the science behind it is fact. Is it a good or bad thing for your body to go in panic attack mode?!?)

Your brain slows down. Literally. It is much harder to think because your brain usually functions from glucose and glycogen and now it no longer has it.  So what does it do? In everyone’s dream world, it pulls from your fat storage and all your fat simply goes away because that’s the only fuel left. But it is WAY more complicated than that. First, your body likes a backup plan. Without fuel, you die. This is why you store fat, so when you don’t get a chance to eat, your body can still function. That simple. Fight or flight mode kicks in when you deplete your glycogen stores. Your body will conserve as much energy as possible if it feels “threatened.” This results in your body slowing your metabolism to conserve your energy.

The longer you fast, the slower your metabolism will be. The opposite is true too. When you eat breakfast, you expend more energy – without doing more exercise.

Your brain slows down to reduce caloric expenditure. Research shows us that eating breakfast results in higher test scores, better memory, and better performance. Big presentation coming up? Eat breakfast!

You will be in a better mood. Anyone who has tried keto or is diabetic can attest to this. Drops in sugar levels affects your mood. It can make you angry, nervous, and grumpy. Your body is trying to send you warning signs! Feed me!! I need glucose!!! Heard of the hangrys? Yep, science backs it up. Avoid hangrys. Eat breakfast. Your friends/co-workers will thank you for it!

You are missing vital nutrients. Skipping a meal is skipping a chance to give your body important vitamins and minerals that it needs to function: Calcium, vitamin A and C, fiber. All the things that you need to function at your best!

Let’s recap: 

Not eating breakfast

• bad mood
• less calories used for the day
• not enough vitamins consumed
• brain slows down

Eating breakfast

• better performance
• consume less fat during the day
• eat more fruits and veggies
• have a lower BMI

Is Breakfast Really Important?

So maybe everyone has a point. Research shows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The choice is up to you.  You can still function without breakfast, but you won’t be functioning at your best. As for this mama, I need all the help I can take! Want to read more? Check out this article that goes more into more depth about breakfast.

Need ideas for quick, simple breakfasts? Try these 6 recipes. or this egg frittata recipe.