HOME
Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day
Part 3: Exceptions
By the 1970s, the practice of having any breakfast was declining, and cooked meals were being replaced by more cereal-based meals. As fat became 'unhealthy', full-cream milk on those cereals was replaced with semi-skimmed or skimmed milks. After the end of the 1970s, therefore, trials aimed at testing the effects of breakfast on mood, cognitive response, problem solving and obesity also increasingly used only carbohydrate-based foods. Results from these have tended to question the previous findings by purporting to show that high-carbohydrate breakfasts are best.
If these studies are taken alone, without knowledge of the previous studies' results, this seems to be the case. For example, workers at the Institute of Food Research and the University of Reading conducted a study of sixteen people given low-fat/high-carbohydrate, medium-fat/medium-carbohydrate, high-fat/low-carbohydrate breakfasts or no breakfast at all.[12] This study found that not having breakfast did not have any marked detrimental effects. This suggests that breakfast is not so important after all, and that seems to refute the findings of the previous studies. But this is not surprising when you discover that all the breakfasts were made up of varying amounts of white bread, margarine, jam, a sweetened milk drink, extra-thick double cream, maltodextrin (a commercially-produced sweetener made from cereals) and water. These meals are all seriously protein deficient. Had breakfasts contained protein, the results would undoubtedly have been very different.
Another study, conducted by Professor Andy Smith of the University of Bristol, sent completely the wrong message to readers of The Times on 5 April 1997. This reported a study of 600 people's breakfast habits and concluded that those who regularly ate cereal first thing in the morning had a more positive mood than those who ate other foods or had no breakfast. It also reported that elderly cereal eaters were found to have higher IQs. But Professor Smith, speaking to the British Psychological Society, admitted that not only did his study not look at the type of cereal eaten to see if one was any better than others, the study also provided no information about cooked breakfasts because the diets of non-cereal eaters were not recorded. In other words, this study looked only at cereals to reach its conclusion that cereals were better. 'Better' is a comparative word. How can cereals be 'better' if they were not compared to other foods?
Three other good reasons for having breakfast
Gallstones. The avoidance of gallstones is the first good reason not to miss breakfast. A study of French women with gallstones found that they had fasted on average for two hours longer overnight than women without the disease.[13]
Constipation. The second reason is that breakfast, for most people, is followed by a trip to the lavatory. This is caused by the 'gastrocolic reflex', which works best in the morning. Although a cup of coffee can set off this reflex action, the strongest stimulus is dietary fat. Anyone who is constipated would do well to cultivate the fried breakfast habit.
Cancer. And the last reason is because, according to a study at the Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan, a Western-style breakfast and salty food reduces the risk of oral cancer.[14]
Conclusion
There is no doubt that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Many people have their major meal at the end of the day, sleep badly as a result and then have no appetite for breakfast. You must change this regime. Even if it takes some time to get used to it, do persevere. I urge you to make time for breakfast — the time it takes will soon be made up later as you will work more efficiently. A good meal of eggs, meat, cheese or fish will give you an amazing amount of energy throughout the whole day. If you are used to feeling weak and hungry by mid-morning, you will be astonished by the difference a good breakfast makes. If you truly haven't time to cook in the morning or cannot face a cooked breakfast, why not try a real Continental breakfast? Keep some hard-boiled eggs in the fridge and have one or two for breakfast with cold meat and/or cheese, a piece of fruit or salad and a drink. Never 'make do' with a slice of toast and a cup of coffee.
References
[1]. Thorn G W, Quinby J T, Clinton M Jr. A comparison of the metabolic effects of isocaloric meals of varying compositions with special reference to the prevention of postprandial hypoglcemic symptoms. Ann Int Med 1943; XVIII: 913.
[2]. Orent-Keiles E, Hallman L F. The Breakfast Meal in Relation to Blood Sugar Values. US Department of Agriculture Circular No. 827 (1949).
[3]. Heaton K W. Breakfast — do we need it? Report of a meeting of the Forum on Food and Health, 16 June 1989. J R Soc Med 1989; 82: 770.
[4]. Boutelle K, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, Resnick M. Weight control behaviors among obese, overweight, and nonoverweight adolescents. J Pediatr Psychol 2002; 27: 531-40.
[5]. Ma Y, Bertone ER, Stanek EJ 3rd, et al. Association between eating patterns and obesity in a free-living US adult population. Am J Epidemiol 2003; 158: 85-92
[6]. Timlin MT, et al. Breakfast Eating and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents: Project EAT (Eating Among Teens). Pediatrics 2008; 121: e638-e645
[7]. Cartwright M, Wardle J, Steggles N, et al. Stress and dietary practices in adolescents. Health Psychol 2003; 22: 362-9.
[8]. Pollitt E. Does breakfast make a difference in school? J Am Diet Assoc 1995; 95: 1134.
[9]. Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, et al. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab 2002; 46, Suppl 1: 24-30.
[10]. Vermorel M, Bitar A, Vernet J, et al. The extent to which breakfast covers the morning energy expenditure of adolescents with varying levels of physical activity. Eur J Clin Nutr 2003; 57: 310-5.
[11]. Ainslie PN, Campbell IT, Frayn KN, et al. Physiological, metabolic, and performance implications of a prolonged hill walk: influence of energy intake. J Appl Physiol 2003; 94: 1075-83.
[12]. Lloyd H M, Rogers P J, Hedderley D I, Walker A F. Acute effects on mood and cognitive performance of breakfasts differing in fat and carbohydrate content. Appetite 1996; 27: 151.
[13]. Heaton KW. Breakfast — do we need it? Report of a meeting of the Forum on Food and Health, 16 June 1989. J R Soc Med 1989; 82: 770-1.
[14]. Takezaki T, Hirose K, Inoue M, et al. Tobacco, alcohol and dietary factors associated with the risk of oral cancer among Japanese. Jpn J Cancer Res 1996; 87: 555-62
See also:
Study finds that a high-fat breakfast is best
Teenagers gain weight if they miss breakfast
Last updated 2 April 2010
Related Articles
