Breakfast – to eat or not to eat?

Everyone has probably heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day or that “eat breakfast yourself, have lunch with a friend, and give dinner to your enemy.” However, nutritionists’ opinions on whether breakfast should be the most important meal of the day differ greatly. Fasting-related diets, such as intermittent fasting, are gaining popularity, which require skipping meals, and breakfast is often the meal that is skipped. 

So who is right? Is breakfast the most important meal of the day, or should it be skipped?

As you will soon see, there has been a lot of research on this topic. This article is part of a series based on Research by scientists from Loma Linda and the Czech RepublicThey studied the relationship between meal timing and frequency and body mass index. I have previously written about their recommendations: eat 1-2 times a day and extend overnight fasting to 18 hours.

Breakfast and body weight are linked

The relationship between breakfast and body weight has been the most studied. Researchers have different theories about why the two are linked. A study conducted among Adventists in lifestyle research, which I have referenced many times before, found that those who ate breakfast and made it the largest meal of the day had a lower body mass index than those who skipped breakfast or ate little in the morning. The researchers hypothesized that this is related to the fact that eating breakfast helps reduce appetite, reduce the number of calories consumed throughout the day, and increases the quality of the diet – since breakfast is often healthier and more nutritious – and improves insulin sensitivity for subsequent meals.

Although most people eat their biggest meal at night, there are benefits to eating a big breakfast. So what did the study show? It showed that compared to those who ate a big dinner, those who ate a big breakfast had a significantly lower body mass index. Those who ate their biggest meal at lunch had a smaller gain, but still significantly less than those who ate dinner.

In addition to a lower body mass index, eating a larger meal in the morning has other benefits. Among overweight and obese women survey conducted in March 2013 showed that those who ate their largest meal in the morning and their smallest meal in the evening lost more weight, reduced their waist circumference, and lowered their blood sugar and triglyceride levels, compared to those who did the opposite. Both groups ate the same diet, about 1,400 kcal per day, for 12 weeks. The only difference was the timing of their largest meal.

The researchers also monitored levels of the hunger-regulating hormone ghrelin, which affected both groups. The group that ate a big breakfast had lower levels of ghrelin and reported fewer snacking throughout the day, compared to those who ate a big dinner.

If you don't like to eat a lot in the morning, the next option is to eat your largest meal at lunch. This also has a positive effect. In addition to the above, there are studies on this as well, e.g. study, which showed that subjects who ate the majority of their calories before 3 p.m. lost more weight than those who ate their largest meal after 3 p.m.

Another one study, which was published in 2004 in the journal The Journal of Nutrition, found that people who eat a hearty breakfast tend to eat less the following day. Those who eat a hearty dinner tend to be less satisfied and tend to snack after dinner.

Still not sure if eating more in the morning is beneficial? Published in October 2016 study showed that those who ate most of their calories in the evening hours after 4 p.m. were found to have poorer blood sugar metabolism, which can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain over time.

As you can see, it's not just about your weight. When to consume the majority of your daily calories depends on your body composition, blood sugar levels, and hormonal balance. Plus, eating during the first, brightest, and most likely most active part of the day helps you stay in sync with your circadian rhythm.

But with these kinds of studies, you can never be sure whether there's a causal link between the two or whether breakfast skippers are overweight for some other reason. Until researchers investigate this connection further, let's think about what we typically eat for breakfast, when we do.

Healthy breakfast

Perhaps more important than the fact of eating breakfast is how healthy we eat our breakfast? However, the timing and size of meals are not the only and most important factor in losing weight. Eating low-energy-density foods, such as a variety of vegetables and dishes made from them, will help you consume fewer calories, no matter when you eat them.

If your breakfast consists mainly of sugary cereals, crunchy muesli or instant porridge with lots of jam, then eating a larger portion will definitely not do you any good. Although, if you leave that amount of sugar or a slice of cake for the evening, a significantly larger portion of it will go to your hips compared to the morning. It's just that the body is better able to deal with excess sugar and fat in the morning than in the evening.

Therefore, it is best to choose foods that are as fresh as possible, such as fruits and whole grain cereals, which provide energy along with a sufficient amount of micronutrients (e.g. vitamins, minerals) and fiber. Fiber is what keeps blood sugar stable and keeps you full for a long time. Micronutrients play an important role in satisfying all kinds of cravings.

Several studies have found that breakfast eaters have other benefits in addition to a lower body mass index. Skipping breakfast is associated with a 271% higher risk of heart disease, a 211% higher risk of type 2 diabetes in men, and a 201% higher risk in women.

One reason may be the nutritional value of breakfast, which is partly linked to the vitamins added to breakfast cereals. A study of young people in the UK found that regular breakfast eaters had better levels of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and calcium. Similar results have been found in Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States.

Breakfast ideas and planning

One reason why people don't eat breakfast is poor planning and a lack of ideas. In the morning, it seems like there are a million things to do that are faster than preparing and eating breakfast. When you wake up and start thinking about what to make for breakfast, it's clearly too late. It's worth taking the time and planning your breakfasts in advance. You can find exciting breakfast recipes by Googling. I'll give you some ideas to look for: simple breakfast recipes, healthy breakfast recipes, gluten-free breakfast, egg breakfast, protein-rich breakfast, savory breakfast, festive breakfast, etc. Whether you're craving an English or American breakfast, you'll find one that suits your taste. Of course, make sure your child eats breakfast too, especially for schoolchildren who have to rack their brains in class for a long time before lunchtime. Choose suitable recipes and buy the necessary food in advance. Think about whether you can prepare something the night before so that the food is ready faster in the morning.

If you don't have time to cook, check to see if there are any restaurants open early in the city you're in. Finding breakfast early in Tallinn and Tartu is definitely not a problem.

Protein-rich breakfast

An Australian research institute claims that a protein-rich breakfast is particularly beneficial, helping to reduce appetite and food intake for the rest of the day. Many nutritionists recommend eating carbohydrates with protein for breakfast, such as cereal with milk or yogurt.

However Meta-analysis of 54 studies found that there is still no consensus on which type of breakfast is healthiest. Instead, it was concluded that simply eating something in the morning is more important than the type of breakfast.

Breakfast and circadian rhythm

One recently made at a high level study, which involved 18 healthy people and 18 people with diabetes, found that skipping breakfast disrupted the circadian rhythms of both groups. The researchers concluded that eating breakfast is critical for keeping your body clock in the right rhythm.

But even more important than whether or not you eat breakfast is how late you eat dinner. Courtney Peterson, who studies the impact of diet on obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease and specializes in the study of meal timing and intermittent fasting, says that breakfast skippers can be divided into two groups: those who eat the rest of their meals at regular times (cutting out the benefits of intermittent fasting), and those who eat dinner late.

He says: “The risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease among late-night eaters skyrockets. While breakfast may seem like the most important meal of the day, dinner may actually be the most important.”

"The body's blood sugar control is best in the first half of the day. When we eat dinner late, we are most vulnerable because that is when our blood sugar control is weakest," he continues.

He says we should think of our circadian rhythms as an orchestra. “Our body clock has two parts. The master clock is in the brain, which is like the conductor of an orchestra, and the other half of the clock is in the organs, where there are separate clocks.”

This orchestra is controlled by two external factors: bright daylight and the timing of our meals. Peterson says, “When we eat without daylight, the clock that controls our metabolism is in a different time zone, confusing us about whether to slow down or speed up our metabolism.” It’s like half the orchestra playing one song and the other half playing a different song, he explains. Eating late affects blood sugar and blood pressure.

When does breakfast time end?

Now you may be asking, when should you eat breakfast? Most people are not able to eat large amounts of food right after waking up. All this talk about not skipping breakfast and that breakfast should be the most nutritious meal of the day certainly does not mean that you should rush to the kitchen as soon as you get out of bed. If you want to do something healthy right after waking up, drink two glasses of water and go to the gym. Brushing your teeth in the morning is also supposed to be good for your health.

When it comes to breakfast and eating in general, listen to your body. You should start thinking about eating at least an hour after waking up, but nothing will happen if you eat breakfast several hours later. It is important that your body is ready to receive food and that most or all of your calories come from high-quality whole foods.

Another reason not to rush through breakfast is that exercising in the morning before eating helps burn stored fat. When you've just eaten, your insulin levels are high, making it nearly impossible to burn fat. On the contrary, insulin stores whatever is left over. Exercising in the morning after an overnight fast helps burn that stored fat, because your glycogen stores and insulin levels are low.

In conclusion

How to summarize this topic now? It seems quite confusing and sometimes contradictory information. The functioning of our body in accordance with the environment and with when and what we eat is a complex set of processes, and it is perhaps not right to single out one factor, eating or not eating breakfast. We can get a better answer if we look at the bigger picture.

And looking at the bigger picture, we can say that even if we can't say for sure that skipping breakfast is what makes many people gain weight, it is clear that having a late dinner does. If we eat very late, it is quite logical that we don't have much of an appetite when we wake up in the morning. We should make sure that our body clock, the rhythm of daylight and the times of eating are in harmony with each other. And it seems that it is better to consume most of the energy in the first half of the day, when the body's ability to cope with possible fluctuations in blood sugar is greater.

More and more studies support the popular saying: “Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner to your enemy.” By consuming the majority of your daily calories before 3 p.m., you will not only get a smaller waistline but also better overall health. If you don’t feel like eating when you wake up and have to go to work early, bring a quality breakfast, such as a fruit salad with nuts or a smoothie, from home. That way, you won’t have an excuse to grab a pastry from the café before you get to work or have a snack before lunch. Enjoy your meal!