The Benefits of Breakfast!

By: Sarah Pittman BS in dietetics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

With school in full swing, and everyone getting back into their normal routines again, what better time to look at the current research of the benefits of eating breakfast to remember why it is so important!

So, what is the current research saying?

1. “Eating breakfast before exercise may ‘prime’ the body to burn carbohydrates during exercise and more rapidly digest food after working out…” (University of Bath, 2018).
2. “Breakfast skipping leads to more eating of unhealthy diet later in the day because of prolonged craving” (Bandyopandhyay, D., Ashish, K., Hajra, A., Ghosh, R., 2018).
3. “Prolonged hypoglycemia leads to overactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis causing sympathetic activation validates its temporal association with AF and chronically elevated cortisol in habitual breakfast skippers, associated with cardiometabolic derangements…” (Bandyopandhyay, D., Ashish, K., Hajra, A., Ghosh, R., 2018).
4. “Subclinical atherosclerosis is more prevalent in breakfast skippers” (Bandyopandhyay, D., Ashish, K., Hajra, A., Ghosh, R., 2018).
5. “Late night overeating is associated with skipping and/or consuming a smaller breakfast. In children with low levels of physical activity, it is associated with increased body mass index” (Karatzi, K., Moschonis, G., Choupi, E., Manios, Y., 2018).

What are great breakfast options?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggest these breakfast ideas to “power up with breakfast” (Gordon, B., 2018):

1. Oatmeal
2. Yogurt Parfait
3. Breakfast Smoothie
4. Toaster waffle
5. Pita egg sandwich
6. Banana roll up
7. Bagel and veggies
8. English muffin

Overall, there are many benefits to eating breakfast, research has shown that people who eat breakfast are more likely to have balanced diets than those who don’t, they are less likely to be overweight and have reduced risk of diseases like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, (Brost, B., 2018).

Do you eat breakfast daily? Do you suggest to your clients to eat breakfast daily?

We would love to hear from you!

References:

Bandyopadhyay D, Ashish K, Hajra A, Ghosh R. An interesting insight into breakfast and cardiovascular disease. International Journal Of Cardiology [serial online]. April 1, 2018;256:7. Available from: MEDLINE, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 15, 2018.

Brost B. NUTRITION: Make a plan to have a healthy breakfast. Duluthnewstribune.com. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/4484118-nutrition-make-plan-have-healthy-breakfast. Published 2018. Accessed August 20, 2018.

Gordon B. Power Up with Breakfast. Eatright.org. https://www.eatright.org/food/planning-and-prep/snack-and-meal-ideas/power-up-with-breakfast. Published 2018. Accessed August 23, 2018.

Karatzi K, Moschonis G, Choupi E, Manios Y. Late-night overeating is associated with smaller breakfast, breakfast skipping, and obesity in children: The Healthy Growth Study. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) [serial online]. January 2017;33:141-144. Available from: MEDLINE, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 15, 2018.

University of Bath. “Eating breakfast burns more carbs during exercise and accelerates metabolism for next meal.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 August 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180815085742.htm>.