A recent study by Kellogg found that while over half of American adults say they would like to eat breakfast, about 70% skip the most important meal of the day. Worse yet, while 77% of preschool and elementary children are fed breakfast, only 50% of middle schoolers and only 36% of high school students eat breakfast daily. So, we seem to understand the importance by our reported desire to eat in the morning and the insistence of breakfast in our young children, yet why do most of us skip out on the first meal of the day?

Many of us feel that we would rather sleep an extra 15 minutes than make food, or that we really don’t feel that hungry in the morning. However, as pointed out in the Business Digest, “After 8 or more hours without food, your body needs to refuel. Skip breakfast and your metabolic rate may drop by up to 10% (affecting your daily calorie burn).” A combination of healthy protein and slow digesting carbohydrates will refuel your tank, helping both with maintaining a healthy weight, and improving brain function like focus and memory. “Plus,” the article goes on, “eating carbs early in the day give you time to burn them.” With both health and brain benefits to early-morning eating, the benefits outweigh the difficulty of breaking a habit—or non-habit in this case.

It may seem counter-intuitive to eat more to weigh less, but it comes down to a routine change, says an article called “The Great Breakfast Debate”.  The point isn’t really about how much you eat, but when.  Studies have found that breakfast eaters tend to snack less at night, which is a sure-fire way to sabotage any diet or exercise. There is no magic pill or food to help lose weight, but really it’s all about a healthy, balanced lifestyle—and it all starts in the morning.
 

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