“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” So said a 1917 article in Good Health magazine. As it turns out, the editor of the magazine was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, co-inventor of Corn Flakes. Even though Dr. Kellogg had financial motives to popularize that statement, he was correct – and modern science backs him up: Eating breakfast daily has lasting health benefits. Here are a few of them:
Type 2 diabetes
Fluctuating or consistently high glucose levels can lead to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. If you skip breakfast, your glucose levels stay low throughout the morning then become too high after lunch. Eating within two hours of waking boosts your glucose level early in the day, which means it fluctuates less for the rest of the day, lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Alertness
According to recent studies, stable glucose levels that come from a healthy breakfast result in a greater level of alertness. Over time, this enhances memory, attention, reasoning and creativity throughout your entire day, making you more efficient.
Activity level
Foods with complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and nuts, break down over time. This means sugar and nutrients will be released into your system slowly throughout the morning, giving you a steady boost of energy. This boost makes you more productive early in the day and results in more activity for the rest of the day.
Weight control
While trying to achieve weight goals, it may seem like skipping meals in the morning would help you lose weight. However, canceling breakfast has the opposite effect. When you eat breakfast, you generally do not feel as hungry at lunch and dinner, which means you eat less throughout the day. Combined with an increased activity level, this helps you maintain a healthy weight or even lose weight, which also results in a reduced risk of heart disease.
Although skipping breakfast is a temptation on busy mornings, breakfast is actually an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Try foods like breakfast bars, fruit, eggs, yogurt and other items that can be found in your Burch breakroom. Learn more about everything we have to offer:
