Is Breakfast The Most Important Meal of the Day?

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? It’s a question we all ask ourselves and certainly one of mixed feelings. A question that I had to get to the bottom of for #BreakfastWeek!

Luckily for me, after pages and pages of google searches, and reading the most opposing articles I found a grey zone in the breakfast debate. Whether or not we can prove that breakfast is any more important than lunch or dinner—that’s debatable.  It’s obvious that all meals are valuable, but one thing is absolutely clear—even the breakfast naysayers have to admit that eating breakfast come with serious perks!

Firstly, ain’t nobody got the time to be hangry! You probably know the word and the feeling, but let me break it down for you as simply as I know how…Urban Dictionary.

Hangry (adj.): when someone becomes irritated, angry, or cranky when they haven’t eaten and are hungry.
Example-
Allen: I hate you and I want to punch you.
Randy: Why are you so angry with me?
Allen: I’m sorry, I haven’t eaten since breakfast so I’m just hangry, bro.

-Urban Dictionary

Well, it may not always be that dramatic, but let’s face it, you wake up, you hit snooze, and next thing you know you’re out the door before you’ve even had a chance to have a snack, much less eat a meal. No food in your belly, still tired, and likely irritable as a result…you don’t feel all that great. It’s because food is fuel and breakfast is our first chance at taking in nutrients/fuel for the day.  Imagine driving a car with no gas. How can you expect to move with out negatively effecting the other components of the vehicle.  Your body is very similar. We need nutrients to function fully and effectively.

Kid’s are a huge factor in studying the importance of breakfast, because they’re bodies are in an extreme state of change and growth—as are all of our bodies to some degree, even if not as rapid.  Studies showed that on average, children who consume breakfast achieve higher academic accomplishments, have higher IQ scores, and had reduced absenteeism and tardiness. I’d like to think it’s because the kids weren’t distracted by their “hanger,” but fact is there are a lot of factors that go beyond hunger and adolescence.

 Your metabolism, at any age, is a huge factor in your health and can definitely be affected by what and when you eat! After all, breakfast is exactly what it sounds like—a “break” from “fasting.” After sleeping all night, eating breakfast is the first signal our bodies get to wake up our metabolisms and start converting calories into energy. If you’re skipping breakfast, or meals in general, your metabolism doesn’t get the memo.  Instead it stays dormant in a sense. Rather than burning calories, we start to store calories.  This means instead of creating energy, our bodies are actually storing it for later, which can lead to excess fat build up…So basically, skipping breakfast can make you tired, irritable, and fluffy…I say “pass the eggs and fruit please!”

For me, the best part of breakfast is setting a routine. A routine to eat regularly, which maintains an efficient metabolism. A routine that leads your mind to associate waking up with pleasantries, like an abundance of energy, a full belly, and best of all—some quality social time. Eating breakfast as a family, with friends, or over a local newspaper is the best way to kick start your day with social interaction and/or awareness, stimulating your brain functions, and consequently building an even stronger bound with your loved ones and/or community.

Breakfast may not be for everybody, but it can certainly affect everybody in a positive way.