What to "give to the enemy": a full breakfast or a snack

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Is it so important to start your day with a full breakfast, or can you get by with a light snack on the way to work or at the office? Find out what nutritionists think about this.

Think about how many times in your life you promised yourself to start your day with a full breakfast. And how many times have you woken up, then frantically collected, as a result of which the time for breakfast shifted somewhere closer to lunchtime. Has this ever happened?

I think many people seriously believe that there is nothing wrong with that. Moreover, a considerable part of my acquaintances is convinced that if you don't feel like eating, then you don't need to. But let's be frank to the end: for various reasons, having given up on morning oatmeal and yogurt at home, we often succumb to the temptation to stifle the awakened feeling of hunger with coffee and donuts, grabbed at the exit from the subway. So which is better? Let's try to figure it out.

Benefits of a full breakfast

But what if you immediately give up both a thorough home breakfast and buns from public catering? It would seem that you can kill two birds with one stone at once, but that was not the case. “Skipping breakfast is doing our body a disservice,” explains Maya Bach, a nutritionist and owner of the River North Nutrition Consulting Center in Chicago. - Throughout the night he goes without food, but in the morning he vital needs "fuel" to accelerate his metabolism to the level of daily performance. If you deprive yourself of the opportunity to eat, your body cannot function at full strength."

Lindsay Joe, an expert nutritionist for the online fitness, health and wellness publication Greatist, agrees:

Our body is like a car: if the tank is empty, then you will not go anywhere.

The results of a number of studies on this issue confirm that a full breakfast reduces the likelihood of developing obesity and high blood pressure. According to the National Weight Control Registry in the United States, 78% of people who lose weight and then maintain a normal body weight eat breakfast at home every day and in most cases can do without a subsequent snack.

“However, if you can't have breakfast at home, it's best to recharge with a croissant from a passing coffee shop. This is how you turn the key in the ignition and start the necessary processes in the body, explains Bach. "If there is nothing in your stomach in the morning, then you will have noticeably less strength, and a sluggish and drowsy state can darken all the joy of the morning."

About what's left behind the scenes

However, you shouldn't think that since you are not eating breakfast at home, chocolate bars and pastries can solve the problem at once. Nutritionists begin to disagree when it comes to the health benefits of morning meals.

The results of one study showed that avoiding morning or even evening meals can be turned into a form of short-term fasting, if certain rules are followed. Then you can gradually reduce your appetite, and hence the total number of calories consumed per day.

There is another reason why refusing a full breakfast can be considered justified: morning sports. “If your every day starts with a jog or several approaches to the horizontal bar, then you know: it is better to do it on an empty stomach, - confirms dietitian Joe from Greatist. "To do this, you need to follow a balanced diet, in which you will eat food rich in protein and fiber for dinner." Lindsay is right: the substances in dietary fiber slow down the absorption of sugars in the intestines and prolong the feeling of fullness.

Doctor, what's the plan?

Of course, eating only oatmeal, apples and low-fat yogurt will quickly get sick. And it can also affect the mood, so we will not abandon the "harmfulness" for good. But there is one long-standing and proven way to reduce the harm from consuming sweets: choose a protein diet. Maya Bach advises: “Take a closer look at peanut butter, pistachios and coconut - the cravings for sweets should decrease. It is even better to have a small bag of nuts with you: almonds or hazelnuts. Add them every time to your favorite sweets so you don't eat too much sweets."

By the way, making breakfast doesn't take as much time as it might seem. Moreover, this is a morning ritual that will help you tune in to the right wave and recharge with a good mood for the whole day.

Summing up

So, as we learned, coffee with a donut or croissant will definitely make your morning more cheerful and kinder. On the other hand, it's okay if you don't feel like eating. Listen to your feelings, there are some benefits to avoiding an early breakfast (some people think it helps to maintain a clear mind). But the best option for the body is not to load the digestive system before bedtime, but to get the necessary supply of calories and nutrients in the morning.