Examining the Myth: Is Breakfast Truly the Most Important Meal?
Breakfast is one of the most controversial meals of the day. Everyone has a different opinion about the first meal of the day. Is breakfast truly the most important meal? In examining the topic of breakfast, we unearthed some very interesting claims.
Common Breakfast “Facts”
- Eating breakfast makes you lose weight
- People who skip breakfast eat more junk food
- People who eat breakfast are smarter and more likely to graduate
- Eating breakfast gives you energy
- Eating breakfast makes you lethargic
- People who eat breakfast consume fewer calories
- Children who eat breakfast behave better than those who don’t
- Children who eat breakfast promote negative and excitable behavior1
- Skipping breakfast makes you consume more sugared beverages
- Breakfast should consist primarily of carbs – cereals, fruit, oatmeal, bread
- Breakfast should be rich in protein – eggs, bacon, sausage
This is only a short list of “facts” promoted by the internet today. As you can see many of them contradict each other. The shared factor in all of these claims is that none of them were supported by strong science – if they were supported by any science at all (many weren’t). So let’s examine the Myth: is breakfast truly the most important meal?
Breakfast Throughout the Decades
Breakfast has changed significantly throughout the years. According to food historians, humans have been eating eggs for approximately 6 million years. Originally, eggs were eaten raw after they were scavenged from bird’s nests.
In the 1920s breakfast was a light meal consisting of coffee, orange juice, and bread. During the Great Depression era, breakfast typically consisted of coffee and anything that could be made out of Bisquick. During World War II rationed breakfasts typically included Spam, soy grits, and Cheerios. After World War II Americans joyfully reintroduced bacon, eggs, and cheese to their morning meals.
The 1960s brought us a significant rise in the consumption of sugary breakfast cereals and fast-food drive-through breakfasts. The 70’s and 80’s had similar breakfasts of cereal, toast, half a grapefruit, pancakes, bacon, and/or eggs. The 90’s breakfasts kept people on an insulin rollercoaster, consuming novelty cereals, Toaster Strudels, and colorful sugar-filled yogurt. This led to a drastic breakfast change in the 2000s of kale smoothies, avocado toast, and bacon.
Is Breakfast Truly the Most Important Meal?
Breakfast has changed like the tide throughout history. When the country is thriving the breakfast consists of high-protein options such as eggs and bacon. During times of struggle, people have resorted to cheaper, carb-heavy choices. Neutral times lead to a combination of both options.
Along with changing breakfast options, the world has also seen varied opinions on breakfast timing. Some cultures and religions viewed eating upon waking to be unholy. Other cultures viewed early consumption of food to be considered gluttonous. Today the government recommendation is to eat within one to two hours of waking up.
The Science of Waking Up
Breakfast is often viewed as the meal we eat in the morning. However, this common viewpoint is incorrect. Breakfast is simply the act of breaking your nightly fast. If you consume your first calories at noon, that is your break-fast.
When you wake up, the body begins a process called the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). CAR is the body’s natural stress response to waking. During the first hour of waking cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, is elevated1. Cortisol raises blood sugar levels by releasing stored glucose resulting in an insulin spike to control the glucose. This natural process gives you the energy to attack the day without any help from food.
How Carbs and Caffeine Affect CAR
Because the body raises insulin in the morning through a process called Cortisol Awakening Response, consuming a high-carb (sugary) breakfast can have unfavorable consequences. In the short term, eating a carb-heavy breakfast causes insulin to rise. Combined with naturally high insulin from the CAR, this will lead to a midday energy crash when insulin levels drop dramatically. For some, this will lead to sugar cravings resulting in the consumption of junk food and sugary drinks.
In children, the morning insulin rollercoaster can present itself as behavioral problems. After a carb-heavy breakfast, a child will get a surge of energy. Naturally, the child will be very excitable, wanting to run and use this energy. When the sugar wears off and the insulin drops, their body will crave sugar (just as an adult will). However, when a child is not given their midday sugar fix it can cause them to become irritable, uncontrollable, and overly emotional2. Children often get mislabeled as difficult or uncontrollable when in reality the only issue is their diet.
Caffeine also plays a big role in the Cortisol Awakening Response. Most people wake up and drink coffee immediately. Caffeine increases cortisol secretion4. When a caffeinated beverage is consumed during the first hour of waking (during the CAR) cortisol levels are dramatically elevated. This may cause some to feel anxious, stressed, jittery, or irritable. Chronically high cortisol levels cause inflammation which leads to cell damage. You will also feel a dramatic drop in energy when the caffeine wears off around the same time as the CAR ends. To avoid this try waiting to consume your caffeine until you have been awake for an hour as this is typically when the CAR has run its course.
It’s Not When You Eat, It’s What You Eat
Simply put, it is not when you eat but what you eat. If you start the day with a huge insulin spike through the CAR and a high-carb breakfast, you are likely to feel sluggish, foggy-minded, and groggy by the middle of the day. To avoid this, either wait at least an hour after waking to consume breakfast or eat a meal that is rich in protein and healthy fats4 – such as bacon, eggs, avocadoes, and sausage.
Switching out the carb-heavy breakfast for a protein and healthy-fat breakfast has multiple benefits. Because proteins and fats take longer to digest, you will feel fuller longer allowing you to avoid those sugar cravings and potentially snacking on junk food throughout the day. Your brain, like your body, will appreciate the healthy breakfast. Unlike the insulin rollercoaster following a high-carb breakfast, the slowly digesting proteins and healthy fats give your brain consistent fuel. This will allow you to think clearly, feel less anxiety/stress, and reduce or eliminate feelings of depression and irritability5.
Is Breakfast Truly the Most Important Meal?
As you can tell, this is a complex question. Luckily, the answer is fairly simple.
Keep in mind, that breakfast is not restricted by time. The first meal of the day is when you are breaking your fast thus eating your “breakfast”. You should not feel as though you have to eat breakfast in the morning to gain health benefits. There are no proven health benefits related strictly to eating in the morning. Allow your body to tell you when it is ready to break your fast by sending you natural hunger signals.
When your body tells you it is ready to eat, regardless of the time of day, it is time to feed it. Give your body a nutritious break-fast by feeding it proteins and healthy fats that will stave off sugar cravings and the desire to snack throughout the day. The real message here is to simply listen to your body. Every body is different. Some people wake up feeling hungry and need to eat. Others do not have any hunger signals until later in the day.
Tune in to your body; it communicates its needs. The more you listen to it, the better you will get at understanding what it needs to allow you to feel your best all day, every day.
Fun Breakfast Fact
The phrase ‘bringing home the bacon’ originated in 12th century England. A local Lord and his wife disguised themselves by dressing as common folk. They proceeded to go to the local Prior and asked to be blessed for not arguing after one year of being married. The Prior rewarded their peaceful devotion with a side of bacon, thus beginning the phrase “bringing home the bacon”.
It raises the question, what if we brought back the bacon reward system for marital bliss? Would there be lower divorce rates if married couples were rewarded with bacon for their ability to keep the peace? We think this method of marital therapy needs to be put to the test!
Supporting Research
- Adolphus K, Lawton CL, Dye L. The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013 Aug 8;7:425. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00425. PMID: 23964220; PMCID: PMC3737458. ↩︎
- Clow, A., & Thorn, L. (2010). Cortisol awakening response. Cortisol Awakening Response – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cortisol-awakening-response ↩︎
- Deeb A, Akle M, Al Ozairi A, Cameron F. Common Issues Seen in Paediatric Diabetes Clinics, Psychological Formulations, and Related Approaches to Management. J Diabetes Res. 2018 Feb 27;2018:1684175. doi: 10.1155/2018/1684175. PMID: 29682577; PMCID: PMC5848057. ↩︎
- Lovallo WR, Whitsett TL, al’Absi M, Sung BH, Vincent AS, Wilson MF. Caffeine stimulation of cortisol secretion across the waking hours in relation to caffeine intake levels. Psychosom Med. 2005 Sep-Oct;67(5):734-9. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000181270.20036.06. PMID: 16204431; PMCID: PMC2257922. ↩︎
- The Meat of The Matter: Understanding the Carnivore Diet. Humanhealthco.com. (2024, March 23). https://humanhealthco.com/the-meat-of-the-matter-understanding-the-carnivore-diet/
↩︎ - Mazzella, R. (2022, October 17). What’s the connection between sugar and depression? Psycom. https://www.psycom.net/depression/depression-and-sugar ↩︎
