Why You Should Never Skip Breakfast

Just because you’re not hungry in the morning doesn’t mean that breakfast should be skipped. It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, as it is the first time you’ll have eaten after a long fast (sleep).

Your body needs to refuel, not just with rest, and eating breakfast is the way you achieve this.

Thus, skipping this meal can have a negative effect on not only your productivity for the rest of the day, but your health overall.

In this blog post, we’ll explore what happens when a person skips breakfast, and why it’s a bad idea.

You’ll overeat later to compensate

It’s been proven that skipping breakfast can lead to overeating later in the day. This is because you’re more likely to crave unhealthy foods like high-calorie sweets or salty snacks, in the absence of energy-producing carbohydrates.

You might develop hypoglycemia

When you skip breakfast and go an extended period without eating, your blood sugar levels will be low, which can lead to hypoglycemia.

This is particularly worrying for diabetics, where lowered blood sugar levels can be very dangerous.

You’ll lack energy

Your body needs nutrients in order to get you through the day. Fats, protein and carbohydrates are the main sources of energy that the body needs to function – carbohydrates being the most important.

If you skip breakfast, replenishment of the nutrients that were lost during sleep cannot take place, and you’ll be left at a deficit. Thus, you’ll feel sluggish and lethargic until you eat something.

Cognitive function will be impaired

Your brain is one of the main organs that needs fuel, and if you’re not feeding it at the start of the day then your cognitive functionality will be negatively impacted.

If you skip breakfast, you’ll have a reduced ability to memorize information or recall facts. For instance, it can be easy to forget simple things, like why you went downstairs or what you were about to say.

You’ll also suffer from a lack of focus, won’t be nearly as alert, and you’ll find your brain wandering more often than usual.

You’ll be in a bad mood

As if the impact on your cognitive function wasn’t enough, your mood will also suffer when you skip breakfast.

This is because your brain won’t have enough energy to produce hormones such as serotonin to regulate your mood.

What does serotonin do?

Serotonin, aka the “happiness hormone”, makes us feel happy and content. It is this hormone, or more accurately the absence of it, that is said to produce the following psychological problems:

• anxiety and depression

• irritability

• self-esteem issues

• aggression

Eating breakfast lowers your risk of disease

Eating breakfast has been proven to reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and heart attack, because you’ll be able to get the essential nutrients your body needs for energy without overeating and indulging on foods high in saturated fast at lunch or dinner time.

Skipping breakfast creates higher levels of cortisol

Studies show that skipping breakfast leads to the release of higher concentrations of cortisol because the body panics and thinks it’s about to starve.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol, aka the “stress hormone”, is a steroid hormone the body creates when you’re stressed. It helps to regulate your stress levels, and acts as your body’s warning bell.

High cortisol levels have been linked to high blood pressure, higher levels of heart disease, and type II diabetes.

Conclusion

Skipping breakfast might seem like a smart thing to do if you’re trying to lose weight, but you could actually end up gaining weight and putting your health at risk if you do so.

Lunch would be a better meal to skip, as it won’t be nearly as damaging to your body, you’ll be less likely to binge-eat before dinner, and you’ll have enough fuel left over from breakfast to keep you going without lunch.