You have probably heard the expression, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” and there actually is some truth to that. Think about the word itself and it will give you a clue; it comes from two different words: “break” and “fast.” When you sleep, it is sort of like a mini-fast. Your body has not been fueled for a while and it needs a little energy to get going for the day. In the morning you “break the fast” by eating. Passing on that meal can set you up to be ravenously hungry later, which can lead to unbalanced eating for lunch, and possibly even for the rest of the day.
If you are short on time, it is still a good idea to try and eat something in the morning. A piece of fruit or a small bowl of whole-grain cereal is better than nothing at all. There have been many studies that have linked eating breakfast with weight loss. While it may seem you are skipping calories if you don’t have breakfast, this is actually an illusion because overeating later in the day will pack on the calories anyway. Also, eating within an hour of waking up helps to kick start your metabolism. Good strategies for eating in the morning include laying out the components for your meal the night before and having healthy items on hand that you can grab if you are in a rush.