As a dietitian, I get asked about the health benefits of breakfast all the time. In this post, I share 7 Benefits of Eating Breakfast and answer the age-old question: is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?
Eating breakfast has many advantages including supporting hormone health and gut health, decreasing risk of heart disease and obesity, and helping with weight loss.
If you struggle with low energy or brain fog, have gone on diets and tried to lose weight by skipping breakfast, or have late-night cravings, eating a nutritious breakfast can be the easy solution you never knew you needed!
If you're looking for breakfast ideas check out these 12 Breakfast Ideas for Healthy Hormones.
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History of "Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day"
We've all heard it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! The phrase was originally coined in the 1960s by Adelle Davis, an American nutritionist who suggested to eat more at breakfast and eat less at dinner when she said "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper". This became a key marketing message for food companies that sold breakfast foods and quickly became a coined phrase in many American households.
But when intermittent fasting became one of the most popular eating trends in the 21st century, more people began delaying breakfast or skipping it altogether, opting for an overnight fasting period until lunch the following day. On top of those who follow a fasting eating pattern, many people just aren't hungry in the morning or don't have the time for the first meal of the day.
In 2020, 75% of Americans reported having tried intermittent fasting. And recent studies in 2022 show that 15% of Americans are not eating eat breakfast.
So the question is this: is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?
Answers to questions like this aren't so simple, and they depend on many factors that are different for each individual. I hope that this post will provide insight into the important role that breakfast plays in meeting nutritional needs and maintaining good health so that you can decide what works for you in this season of your life. I can tell you that as a dietitian, I prioritize having a morning meal that is loaded with essential nutrients including fiber from whole grains, healthy protein, and fats!
7 Benefits of Breakfast
Without further ado, here are 7 Health Benefits of Breakfast:
1. Decreased Risk of Chronic Illnesses Including Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes
Healthy choices at the breakfast table impact heart health and the entire body.
In research presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in March 2024 showed that people who followed the common fasting eating pattern of eating only 8 hours out of the day had a 91% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared with a standard 12-16 hour eating pattern.
Cross-sectional studies have also shown that people who regularly skip breakfast may be more likely to have high cholesterol (in particular, high low-density lipoprotein or LDLs), high blood pressure, a higher body mass index, and insulin resistance, putting them at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Those who eat breakfast regularly tend to maintain a healthier body weight and have a decreased risk of incidences of coronary heart disease.
2. Steady Blood Sugar Levels
Another good reason to prioritize a healthy breakfast is to avoid dips in your blood sugar!
Eating habits that include breakfast help to regulate blood glucose levels. Eating a balanced meal at breakfast is a good way to avoid low blood sugar which can cause irritability, brain fog, and headaches. So if you want better concentration, give your body the necessary fuel it needs at the start of the day!
Eating a nourishing breakfast without added sugar like a smoothie with spinach or other veggies or low-fat sausage and cubed sweet potatoes provides a supply of glucose which can help improve academic performance and problem-solving skills.
Try to avoid having just a piece of fruit or toast. Instead, pair complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber with lean proteins and healthy fats for a steady rise in blood sugar. Hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter, hummus, lentils, or chia seeds are all good choices to serve with whole wheat bread or fresh fruit. Bonus points if you can add a veggie like kale or carrots.
3. Cortisol Balance
Cortisol is a hormone that helps regulate your response to both physical and emotional stress. It impacts almost every organ and tissue in your body. For example, keeping cortisol in balance helps regulate metabolism, suppresses inflammation, influences sleep, and plays a role in blood pressure regulation. When stress levels are high, cortisol rises as a response.
While it’s normal for cortisol to rise and lower throughout the day, having chronically high cortisol can cause inflammation in the body and stored belly fat. Skipping meals can put your body into a "fight or flight" mode which leads to disrupted cortisol and cravings throughout the day.
Cortisol levels are typically highest in the morning right when you wake up, and eating breakfast is a great way to bring those levels down by providing your body with important nutrients. This can help you feel better and over time it can decrease the inflammation and other symptoms caused by chronically high cortisol.
I find that eating a high-calorie breakfast helps me feel less anxious in the mornings and is one of the 7 benefits of breakfast I find impacts my own health.
4. Leptin and Ghrelin Control
Our bodies have 2 main hormones that control appetite by impacting hunger and fullness. Ghrelin is your hunger hormone. It signals to your body that it’s time to eat. Leptin is your fullness hormone. Leptin is the opposite of ghrelin and it signals to your body to stop eating when you've had enough.
Keeping these two hormones in balance can lead to better weight management and make it less likely you will overeat. If you ever have that feeling like you just can't seem to get full there's a chance that these hormones are involved.
Having a healthy breakfast first thing in the morning can help these levels stay more stable throughout the day so you won't be as likely to experience feelings of extreme hunger that often lead to overeating and weight gain.
5. Improved Gut Health
Digestive health is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. A balance of good bacteria in the gut microbiome has an impact on many aspects of health including the absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients, steady energy levels, and cognitive and brain health. A large portion of your immune system also resides in your gut.
Many people wake up and drink a cup of coffee, but skip the food with it not realizing that drinking coffee on an empty stomach is bad for gut health. So if you are a coffee drinker in the morning, breakfast is particularly important!
You wouldn’t go outside or let your kids go outside and spend hours in the sun without sunscreen, right? So don’t let your gut spend hours basking in an acidic drink full of caffeine without some food to protect it.
Opt for a breakfast that contains a carbohydrate with dietary fiber like those from whole grain cereal or oats, seeds, legumes, nuts (sliced almonds or walnuts go great in oats), and fruits and vegetables like avocado, apple slices, or berries to improve and maintain good gut health.
Learn more about Gut Healthy Foods.
6. Decreased Cravings and Snacking
A 2021 study from Proceedings of the Nutrition Society showed that breakfast skippers are more likely to miss out on key nutrients during the day. This put them at higher risk of not meeting the recommended nutrient intake for folate, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin D, and many B vitamins.
People who skip breakfast were also shown to have lower-quality nutrition and increased calorie intake from snacks and empty calories throughout the day when compared to breakfast eaters.
Breakfast skippers ate fewer calories in the morning, but were more likely to eat unhealthy foods including more added sugars, total fats, and carbohydrates during the day because of excessive snacking. So while it seems counter-intuitive, if you are trying to lose weight, be mindful of eating in the morning and enjoy a hearty and balanced breakfast!
High protein breakfasts like an omelet with broccoli and leafy greens, scrambled eggs or Greek-Yogurt paired with a carb like quinoa, a whole grain muffin or blueberries in appropriate portion sizes can help you feel full and help with weight-control. Stick to lean protein and whole food and try to steer clear of processed foods like sugary cereal that will have you hungry again in no time.
7. Energy for Your Day
The last of the 7 benefits of breakfast might just be the best one. What do you do when you have an afternoon slump and need a quick energy boost?
Do you reach for a beverage with caffeine or mindlessly munch on a high-fat junk food snack? How great would it be if you could find a way to avoid that crash and have the energy for physical activity in the afternoon?
Believe it or not, breakfast is an easy way to ensure your energy remains steady for the rest of the day. So if you are trying to kick that mid-afternoon coffee break that leaves you up late at night, try having an early breakfast to start the day.
Eating a healthy breakfast can go a long way in impacting your whole day. Add breakfast to your morning routine for a more energized afternoon.
Your food choices at breakfast matter! Check out these 12 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Hormone Balance.
In conclusion
Numerous studies show the health benefits of breakfast including decreased cravings throughout the day, better blood glucose regulation, decreased risk of obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, and improved gut health.
Eating a nourishing breakfast that contains healthy foods and important nutrients like dietary fiber, lean proteins, and healthy fats may just be one of the tastiest ways to improve your overall health!
If you enjoyed this article about the 7 Benefits of Breakfast. If you learned something from it, I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment, or send me a message on Instagram....I LOVE knowing there’s people out there learning about nutrition! 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian
References: Physiology and Behavior Journal, Medical News Today, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, American Heart Association, AHA Circulation Journal, realresearcher.com, Cleveland Clinic, hormonesbalance.com, The Institute for Functional Medicine
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Sonoma Fit Meals
This is great! Starting a day with a nutritious meal jumpstarts our metabolism, providing fuel to our body and brain.
Mallory
Hi there!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a note. It means a lot to me and I couldn't agree more! Nutrition at the start of the day is important for so many reasons. 🙂