Should You Eat Breakfast?

For many, the effects of diet culture don’t leave us unphased- myself included. One of the things that impacted my perception of food the most was the idea that eating breakfast would lead to weight gain- that it was an unnecessary use of calories. 

This mentality spread far and wide with the rising popularity of intermittent fasting, a useful method of diet for some, that is easily manipulated into disordered eating. 

However, the other, longer standing narrative about breakfast is that it’s the most important meal of the day. So, with the spread of misleading or hard to understand information, how do we choose?

The Old Sayings

First, it’s important to understand the history of the importance of eating breakfast. The root of this idea comes from Adelle Davis, a nutritionist in the 1960s, who said that in order to stay healthy we should “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” This indicates that breakfast should always be the largest meal of the day and meal sizes should get smaller from there. However, our culture doesn’t treat dinner like the lightest meal of the day, and if you see fit, neither should you. 

The New Experiments

In more recent nutrition studies, ranging from 1990 to 2019, Australian researchers found that those who consume breakfast daily gained 1 more pound over the study period than those who did not. However, there was not a lot of control in caloric intake, lifestyle or breakfast specifics recorded, which makes the argument of this study weaker. 

The Reality

Along with the misleading studies, like the Australian one, there are also newer and more accurate research coming to light. For example, a study recently published about men’s coronary health showed that North American men were 27% more likely to develop coronary heart disease when they skipped breakfast. From this study and it’s methods, we can more accurately determine that it wasn’t other lifestyle choices that lead to the development of heart disease. However, the reality of the situation is that you need to eat breakfast depending on what works best for you. 

This is, of course, easier said than done, but taking into account your hunger and cravings (or lack of it) and understanding that your body does need fuel to function is key to making the right choices for you. 

It’s okay to experiment- I have found, after much trial and error, that I shouldn’t drink coffee first thing in the morning. I get a slump mid afternoon when I do that. However, if I spend the morning drinking water, eating, and then drinking coffee, I feel much better. 

Take the time to try high protein, high fiber choices that will start your day off on a good note, and find the right fuel for your body. No widespread study will be able to touch on your specifics- your preferences, lifestyle, and activity level. Breakfast may or might not be right for you, but there is a morning routine that will make you feel your best: you just have to give it a shot!

Written by GUADS intern Kate, with contributions from health.harvard.edu, sciencedirect.com, and bmj.com