Are You a Breakfast Skipper?

To skip breakfast or not is the most important decision we can make upon waking each morning. In many cases time constraints, a lack of appetite or the desire to lose weight will find most of us jumping out of the shower and heading straight for the front door. Bypassing the kitchen in the morning may seem harmless, however reality paints a different picture. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day to our bodies.

Depriving Our Body Of Its Needs Is An Injustice We Can't Afford

For optimum performance our body needs to be refueled in the morning following the overnight fasting period much like a car needs gas. Glucose, which is derived from the carbohydrates we eat, is the sole provider of the energy needed for our body's metabolic functions. While we sleep our glucose level naturally drops causing a chain reaction of negative effects felt throughout our body.

Insufficient glucose levels not only affect our metabolism but also our physical and mental abilities throughout the day. Without a constant supply of glucose the brain cannot function properly which can impair our cognitive skills. Simply put, without a constant supply of glucose, which is obtained from consuming carbohydrates, energizing our brain we cant' think. Often times breakfast skippers will show signs similar to a mild case of hypoglycemia such as irritability, difficulty concentrating, drowsiness and fatigue. For this reason, restoring our depleted glucose level with a fresh supply of carbohydrates at breakfast should be a top priority.

Case studies focusing on school-age children have best demonstrated the importance of eating breakfast and its impact on the brain. The Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) classroom breakfast pilot program, which was launched in 1998, has seen significant improvement in student attendance, student behavior and academic performance. Participating schools in the pilot program reported a five-point increase in the percentage of students who scored at or above the satisfactory level on the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) Composite Index scores. Additionally, researchers reported an 8% decrease in student tardiness as well as a significant drop in the number of suspensions issued monthly. Minnesota schools have reported similar results after launching their school breakfast program called Fast Break to Learning in 1994.

If you're still a non-believer in the importance of having breakfast consider the following: breakfast skippers are more likely to develop health problems such as obesity, diabetes type 2, and heart disease.

A Successful Weight Loss Plan Should Begin With Breakfast

Taking off extra pounds, and keeping them off, which at first may seem a logical reason for skipping breakfast, is one reason not to skip breakfast. The average person sleeps from eight to ten hours each night. During this nightly fasting period our metabolism slows down. The body, which perceives fasting periods as a starvation situation, will maintain a slower metabolism rate until a fresh source of energy becomes available. For this reason the best defense against obesity is getting your metabolism up and running at the breakfast table each morning. Simply put, without a healthy serving of carbohydrates in the morning your metabolism will remain dormant and so to will your battle with the bulge.

Get A Head Start On Controlling Glucose Levels Before Its Too Late

Researches have found breakfast skippers to be 4.5 times more likely to develop diabetes type 2. Why? Breakfast skippers often develop insulin resistance syndrome, a metabolic disorder resulting in the body ineffectively using the hormone insulin, which is responsible for controlling blood sugar levels. When insulin resistance is present, the body will produce too much insulin causing blood sugar levels to rise. Elevated blood sugar levels over time can develop into diabetes.

A Heart Friendly Meal

Breakfast skippers tend to have higher cholesterol levels. One reason may be that breakfast skippers will normally make up for the skipped meal consuming large meals later in the day. "Research has shown that large meals trigger the release of large amounts of insulin, according to David Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center at St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto. Insulin release in turn stimulates the production of an enzyme that increases cholesterol production by the liver." ¹

Starting Your Day Off Right

Knowing why you should eat breakfast doesn't resolve the common, yet valid, complaints often given by breakfast skippers. If you are one of the many who doesn't feel hungry in the morning, try cutting back on your nighttime snack or have dinner a bit earlier. A slow metabolism during the night results in a sense of fullness first thing in the morning. For those with little time in the morning, fresh fruit, hard-boiled eggs, whole grain bread or muffins, whole-grain cereals and oatmeal can be prepared with minimal fuss. An added bonus - oatmeal has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels significantly when eaten each day, as do carrots. The size of the meal isn't important. What is important is that you sit down at the table and jump-start your sluggish metabolism with healthy food choices each day. Making time now could save you time having to sit in the doctor's office later.

References:

¹ Lower Cholesterol Foods, Lower Cholesterol with Diets. Retrieved January 19, 2008. http://www.cholesterol.tv/cho_low_foods.htm

Sources:

The Maryland Meals for Achievement Retrieved January 17, 2008 www.nutritionexplorations.org/pdf/sfs/MarylandMeals.pdf

Fast Break in Learning Retrieved January 17, 2008 www.nutritionexplorations.org/pdf/sfs/MinnesotaFastBreak.pdf

Association between Eating Patterns and Obesity in a Free-living US Adult Population. Retrieved January 17, 2008.