Eat or Skip - Breakfast
The word ‘breakfast’, when broken down literally means breaking your fast. Your body should be at rest, ideally for 7-9 hours every day. When you go all this time without eating, it leaves you feeling hungry in the morning. This is where comes in one of the most nourishing meals of the day - Breakfast.
Getting enough sleep is good, but compromising on breakfast is something many of us have done at least once in the past. A good breakfast will keep you going for the entire day without any fatigue or tiredness and is one of the best meals to enjoy with your family.
We have heard many myths about breakfast, but here are the five most popular ones and the science explained for these myths.
As we said before, breakfast needs to be one of the most nourishing meals of the day. When part of a balanced diet, breakfast should consist of fibre, protein, complex carbohydrates and other nutritious elements.
Having something as light as tea with toast or a salad does not provide the body with enough nutrition after a long fasting period. Some healthy additions you can include in your breakfast are chia seeds, curd, dates, idli, oats, and nuts.
What if we told you that people who skip breakfast tend to be overweight or obese than the people who have it regularly? This was the result of a research study that was based on observation. Though limitations in the study suggested that breakfast may not be the entire reason why, it definitely plays a part.
People who eat breakfast tend to eat a healthier diet with more fibre, vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, some people who skip breakfast may tend to do less physical activity, smoke more and drink alcohol.
No, breakfast does not help to increase your metabolism.
You might have heard that eating breakfast boosts your metabolism, which in turn helps to lose weight. But what would be ideal for some, in this case, is eating small meals every 2-3 hours. This will keep your body systems engaged regularly; which helps in losing weight. But, make sure that the meals are balanced and healthy.
While there may be some truth to this, it results in an unhealthy form of weight loss that we are likely to regain eventually. Skipping breakfast induces a slight caloric deficit.
If you skip breakfast, you cut down 300-400 calories from daily caloric intake. This puts you in a calorie deficit. So, ideally, the catch here is to eat healthy throughout the day while skipping your breakfast will help to lose weight. But this may not work for everyone as we all have differently functioning bodies.
It is common in intermittent fasting, which includes the 16/8 method. This includes 16 hours of fasting overnight followed by an 8-hour eating window period. Intermittent fasting has shown to have an effect on weight loss and improve metabolic health.
However, as mentioned above, it may not suit everyone and could make you hungry. It can also lead to headache, drop in blood sugar levels and lack of concentration.
So, eat or skip? That is where you decide. Since everyone cannot easily adapt to Intermittent Fasting or other forms of diet, it is necessary to experiment and find out what works best for you. Some may perform better after eating breakfast and continuing their day while others skip. But if you want to have a good breakfast and are confused about including the right food, always have something rich in protein and fibre. This will provide you with energy and strength to go on with your day.
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