It goes without saying, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping any meal can be devastating, but just how severe is skipping breakfast? In this post I will research about the risks and benefits of skipping breakfast.
Skipping breakfast has always been linked to many health risks. Ones such as high blood pressure, overweight, and unhealthy body fats. Not having this morning meal keeps the in a state of fasting longer, disrupting the metabolism which can be life threatening.
What are the effects of skipping breakfast?
Obesity is a leading effect of skipping breakfast. Skipping will increase the risk of obesity and obesity related diseases as well as making it harder to lose weight. Not eating breakfast adds to the fasting period that happens overnight. This may disrupt blood sugar level which can lead to diabetes. Not eating breakfast will also lead to bad eating habits as many will seek out to eat fast food when they are hungry.
Eating breakfast is a way to increase the metabolism in the body and skipping it will lead to a loss of energy and physical activity.
Skipping breakfast can increase the risk of low blood sugar and hypoglycemia. Physical effects include shakiness, dizziness, weakness, headaches and rapid heart rates.
Moody mornings is often characterized as a common effect of skipping breakfasts. Studies show that 26% of the people experienced large improvements in mood when breakfast is consumed regularly.
Studies conducted by Harvard showed that men who skip breakfast have a 27% higher chance of having heart attacks or die of coronary heart disease. These men are usually young smokers and alcoholics who were generally less active. Combining all these factors will show just how harmful the effects can be. Skipping breakfast alone might not seem like a big deal but the effects of skipping combined with bad habits and health risks can make the result devastating.
We’ve seen the negative effects to skipping breakfast but are there benefits to not having breakfast?
Many dietitians say that breakfast is optional and isn’t needed to boost the metabolism in the body. In fact, Dr John Berardi of Precision Nutrition says that skipping this meal may just help you lose a few pounds. Here are his reasons:
Skipping may lead to eating less overall. One may eat fewer large meals instead of the many small meals throughout the day. This lowers the amount of calories you intake, thus leading to weight loss.
It will also lower your carbohydrate intake of the day. Many people consume too much carbs and fat and not enough protein. Because breakfast is carbs-heavy, skipping means that less are eaten, reducing the blood sugar levels.
In the end, skipping breakfast shouldn’t be that big of a deal but take note that consistent fasting and bad habits will lead to many health risks. I think it a good idea to just eat that first meal of the day as there are no negative impact to eating breakfast. Hopefully, you enjoyed this post and learned a little bit more. See you next time 🙂
Helpful websites to learn more:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/292033-side-effects-of-not-eating-breakfast/
Steve's Hospital 
That’s cool I never realized not eating could actually make you fatter. So does this mean breakfast really is the most important meal of the day or does skipping lunch or dinner have similar effects?
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Really interesting how important breakfast is, and how many factors it can play to the general health and well being of our bodies. I am sure glad that I eat breakfast every morning!
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WOW, this article was really informative! I never knew that not eating breakfast could have such big repercussions. It is just shocking how not eating breakfast could increase your chance of getting a heart attack. Great post!
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