Breakfast, we’re told, is the most important meal of the day. They dominate prime time television commercial spots; entire movies are dedicated to having it. Families gather in the kitchen every morning for fresh orange juice and a healthy helping of bacon and eggs.
But as more people adopt fasting, many have given up this morning ritual, delaying their first meal to well past noon.
Decades of studies have shown breakfast is key to keeping up our metabolism, which can help fat burn. It’s also said to help us eat less the rest of the day and, therefore, an effective way to keep obesity at bay and reduce the risk of diabetes; a study by the Mayo Clinic in the United States supports these claims.
According to a study by Food Research and Action Center in the United States, students who eat breakfast outperform those who don’t.
The idea that breakfast allows us to keep weight gain at bay is based on the assumption that it leads us to eat smaller meals later in the day. Otherwise, eating another meal and consuming more calories to lose weight seems like an impossible equation.
Studies on whether eating breakfast leads to lower overall daily caloric intake is inconclusive.
But the body can burn its fat as fuel; for those who skip breakfast, this essentially means the body is eating itself as the first meal of the day rather than burning the intake of additional calories.
Contrary to studies that support the health benefits of breakfast on metabolism, research has shown that eating increases insulin levels, slowing metabolism.
Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute research found that fasting and limiting the number of meals consumed in a day “lowers one's risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes and causes significant changes in a person's blood cholesterol levels.”
As with most health and nutrition advice, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to breakfast. Regardless of whether you have one, a good rule of thumb is to stay away from high sugar, high-fat foods such as refined cereals, pastries and fruit juices. Here, we speak with three athletes for insights into their approach to breakfast.
Timothy Ho, world rope skipping champion
"It really depends if I’m in a rush. I'll have some greek yogurt with fruits if I have time, but if I'm in a rush, I’ll usually grab a pastry and head for the door."
Juju Chen- martial artist, actress and action star
"I don’t always have breakfast. I dedicate my morning to training, and depending on the day; I may not eat. I don’t need that first meal in the morning to get my energy up for training. Last year, I started going vega/flexitarian with fish and stick to that if I have breakfast. Because I don’t usually take breakfast, I’m pretty much intermittent fasting every day."
Stephanie Cuvelier- former rugby pro and fitness trainer
"Typically, my breakfast is pretty early on in the morning before I start my day of teaching. Because I have a physically demanding job, I require the fuel to get me through the morning before making it to my next meal!
For early morning breakfast at around 6 to 6:30, I’ll have Oats with a scoop of protein powder and mixed berries or banana with peanut butter.
For late morning breakfast at around 8 to 9, I'll have two boiled/scrambled eggs with half avocado, and lightly sauteed greens or two poached/scrambled eggs with a slice of sourdough toast & lightly sauteed veggies of mushrooms or cherry tomatoes. And if I feel like I need a bit more protein, I'll add a slice or two of Canadian back bacon or smoked salmon to the mix too."