Nutrition

How Skipping Your Breakfast Can Harm You

Are you one of those who skip your first meal in the morning? If yes, do you know how harmful that can be to your body? During the morning hours between 4 am and 6.30 am your body secretes hormones like cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, which give you the energy to wake up and get moving. This is known as the dawn effect.  So, if you are skipping your breakfast, your blood sugar level will drop. This is when you will crave food and end up eating more during your next meal.

A study conducted by the American Heart Association Journal of Circulation found that if you eat your breakfast regularly, you are less likely to overeat throughout the day. The study also found that middle aged men who skip breakfast are more likely to have heart attacks or die of heart diseases.

What is the trend?

The problem with most people today is that they are stressed in the morning as they have to rush around with household chores, get their kids ready for school or get ready for work. The morning rush hits them and they don’t get time for a decent breakfast. So, they just grab a quick cup of coffee before rushing out. This is a very dangerous trend.

When you skip your breakfast, your body starts to attack the muscles so that it can be utilised for fuel. Consequently, hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol will kick in as your body’s natural coping mechanism. Since your muscles are metabolically active, they will help you burn fat. Obviously, you don’t want to put your muscles in a fat burning mode. So, you should ensure that you feed them.

Start the day right

Start the day right

If you are not a morning person, plan out your breakfast menu the previous night itself so that you will not waste your time in the morning contemplating on what to make. A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology found that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese.

Breakfast contains vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. So, jump start your day by feeding your body with the right food.  Also, remember that eating early in the day prevents people from overeating throughout the day. According to a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who regularly skip breakfast have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Eating breakfast will also suppress concentrations of insulin, which is a hormone in our body that encourages fat cells to take up fatty acids and store them. It will also give you better short-term memory, besides boosting your mood.

What to eat?

You can be bombarded with different kinds of food. But choosing a healthy one is essential. Some healthy as well as time saving breakfast ideas include oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, avocado and toast, peanut butter balls, whole grain toaster-sized waffles, breakfast burrito among others. The key is to get a good source of protein coupled with healthy carbohydrates.

You can get a list of 12 proven healthy breakfast ideas from here.

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Shaw Academy

Updated: Feb 26, 2016

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