Why breakfast is significant for all day energy and alertness

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, with multiple benefits.  A nutritious breakfast supplies energy to the body, helps to maintain weight by controlling the urge to snack before lunch, helps to maintain blood glucose levels, provides a part of the daily nutrient requirement, and so on.In spite of this common knowledge, many people make excuses to skip or skimp on breakfast.  The most common reasons for skipping or skimping on breakfast include the lack of time in the morning, reduced appetite, desire to lose weight, lack of energy, non-availability of convenient breakfast options at home.Skipping breakfast altogether may have health consequences as shown by many studies.  Skipping breakfast is associated with increased risk of heart disease.  A meta-analysis done in 2020 confirmed that skipping breakfast increases the risk of  overweight / obesity.  There was no significant difference in the results of the meta-analysis among different ages, genders, regions and economic conditions.For children, the need for consuming breakfast is arguably even more pronounced, as they are in their formative years and need to eat adequately for their physical and mental development. Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless, or irritable. In the morning, their bodies need to refuel for the day ahead. Their mood and energy can drop by midmorning if they don't eat an adequate and nutritious breakfast. Breakfast may also help keep children’s weight in check.Carbohydrate intake via breakfast becomes vital as it provides fuel to the body and the brain in the morning.  Shifting most calories and carbohydrates to daytime, appears to be a promising therapeutic approach to improve postprandial hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. A review published in 2021 indicates that a high-energy breakfast has resetting and synchronizing actions on circadian clock genes expression, improving glucose metabolism, postprandial glycemic excursions along with weight loss in type 2 diabetes.High intakes of dietary fibre and whole grains are associated with positive effects on metabolic health while diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates have negative effects on cardiometabolic health, indicating the importance of fibre-rich foods and whole grains as a part of breakfast and other meals.Along with carbohydrates, good quality protein is also essential to regulate appetite and provide energy balance.  Lower glycemic load foods and higher protein intake at breakfast were found to be associated with higher energy levels.  In a vegetarian breakfast, combination of cereals and pulses / dals ensures quality proteinBesides macronutrients, micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are also involved in the process of converting food into energy as well as ensuring brain function.  Adequate supply of  B vitamins is required for appropriate functioning of the energy-production system and a shortfall in any one of them will be limiting for energy production with potentially severe metabolic and health consequences.  A food consumption survey conducted in Ireland concluded that breakfast significantly contributed to the daily micronutrient intake by providing on an average 24% of dietary fibre, 32% iron, 30% calcium, 32% folate and 37% riboflavin.  A peer-reviewed systematic research conducted in February 2020 revealed breakfast consumers had a higher mineral intake of iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and iodine than breakfast skippers.  Ready-to-eat cereal consumers had higher consumption of B-vitamins and significantly higher vitamin C intake than breakfast skippers.A few examples of nutritious breakfast are –

1. Ready-to-eat cereal + milk + fresh/dry fruit
2. Muesli + curd / milk
3. Oats/Ragi porridge with fresh/dry fruits
4. Idli/Dosa/upma + sambar
5. Stuffed vegetable Paratha + dahi
6. Vegetable Poha + buttermilk
7. Whole wheat bread + egg

Regular breakfast consumption is important both for macro- and micronutrient intake.  Make breakfast a daily routine for better nutrition and good health!The author is RD Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Views are personal. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.