You are in a hurry or you don't get a bite in the morning at all... But how (un)healthy is it to skip breakfast? We asked Lolkje de Vries, spokesperson at the Nutrition Center.
Lolkje:“Breakfast has been regarded as the most important meal of the day for decades. I don't know where that comes from. One of the theories is that cornflake producer Kellog's invented it in the 1930s, but it could also have originated when people still did a lot of heavy physical work. Then of course it helps if the stomach is well filled. At the Nutrition Center we think breakfast is very important, but not more important than lunch or dinner. It is especially good to eat at set times. And preferably according to the disc of five.”
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“When you wake up in the morning, your digestion has been standing still for a while. While you sleep, your body does not get new energy either. Breakfast kicks off your digestion and gives you enough nutrients to start the day energetically. A healthy breakfast consists of about three to five hundred calories. If you don't feel like eating much in the morning, you probably need more time to wake up. In that case, you can also have breakfast a little later by taking your food to work.
People who do intermittent fasting do not have breakfast until around ten or eleven o'clock. Except that you may start the day a little more tired, that is not harmful. Provided you get all the nutrients your body needs. Skipping your breakfast completely and only eating your first meal at lunch is less good. Then you miss an important eating moment.”
“Skipping breakfast can make you hungry and more likely to eat unhealthy snacks. You mainly get sugar, but not the right nutrients. In the long run you often have less energy and you can gain weight. If you consume too few calories every day, you can actually lose weight.
There is a lot of research being done on the link between regular eating and the risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers suspect that this has an effect on our health, but it could also be that people who skip breakfast already have an unhealthy lifestyle. Do you find it difficult to eat breakfast? Then take some time for it. It can also help to experiment with different meals, such as yogurt or oatmeal. Choose something healthy that you can easily get rid of. As long as you don't skip breakfast.”
