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According to research, skipping breakfast has a number of unintended consequences.

This is for you!

By Shashini ThennakoonPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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Despite the fact that the proverb developed by American dietitian Adelle Davis about how one should "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" now comes with disclaimers, nutrition professionals still follow Davis' basic concept. That point is that breakfast is crucial, and ignoring it on a regular basis will have negative consequences.

Your body tends to perform at its best when you start your day with a balanced meal that includes plenty of protein, nutritious carbs, and the perfect mix of vitamins and minerals. In essence, you're preparing yourself for optimal physical health, mental sharpness, and consistent energy levels.

When you miss breakfast, on the other hand, you may be courting a slew of issues, both short and long term. Here are some unintended consequences of skipping breakfast.

1 Your metabolism will be slowed.

You know how you can go for hours without feeling hungry on some days, yet as soon as you eat even a small amount of food, you're starving for more? According to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, eating boosts your metabolism for the rest of the day. They came to the conclusion that having breakfast as the largest meal of the day kept them from gaining weight.

And getting started early is beneficial because your body is most efficient at secreting insulin, digesting meals, and performing other activities early in the day after a good night's sleep. Postponing meals means delaying the onset of these beneficial processes, lowering their potency during following meals.

2 You'll feel hungrier later

According to Mary Stewart, RD, LD, creator of Cultivate Nutrition, a healthy breakfast can not only offer you the energy and nutrition your body needs to start the day, but it can help stabilize blood sugar levels to prevent feelings of hunger and related irritation throughout the day. You may be setting yourself up for failure later in the day if you skip breakfast, making it more difficult to make healthy choices owing to blood sugar variations.

3 It has the potential to cause weight gain.

According to Life Hack, studies show that eating the majority of one's daily calories first thing in the morning is the greatest approach to lose weight or keep a stable weight. Eating heavier meals closer to bedtime, on the other hand, is linked to weight gain.

The same can be true about having a number of smaller meals and snacks throughout the day: it's far preferable to eat the majority of your meals and snacks early in the day. According to a study conducted at San Raffaele Rome Open University, timing is more significant than what is consumed. In a study of 18 women, those who ingested the majority of their calories in the early half of the day shed more weight and had better insulin sensitivity.

4 You have a weaker immune system.

Your immune system will be stronger and more invigorated if your body is stronger and more energized. When you come into contact with any type of germ or virus, a healthy breakfast can help you have a strong, healthy immune response. "Periods of fasting appear to promote cell damage," noted Tehzeeb Lalani, a nutritionist with Scale Beyond Scale, "and the body needs to be supplied food regularly in order to maintain healthy levels of immune cells that fight infections and boost the action of fighter cells (T-cells) in the body."

5 It has the potential to induce hair loss.

This one is in both the "decidedly unexpected" and "certainly undesirable" categories, but according to The Health Site, skipping breakfast on a regular basis can lead to hair loss. Because your body's ability to generate keratin, the building block of your hair, is hampered by a lack of protein in the morning (and nails). You may be leaving more hairs on the pillow at night if you don't eat a protein-rich breakfast in the morning, and growing less to replace them.

6 Your anxiety levels will skyrocket.

Breakfast skippers had higher cortisol levels, according to a study of women aged 18 to 45. According to the Mayo Clinic, cortisol is known as the "stress hormone." While cortisol is a necessary natural molecule that increases glucose levels in the bloodstream and improves your energy levels, awareness, and even your body's ability to repair damaged cells, too much of it in everyday life can make you feel tired, irritated, confused, depressed, and anxious.

"Breakfast replenishes the glycogen reserves in the liver, allowing cortisol levels to drop. If you skip breakfast, cortisol levels will rise to maintain blood glucose levels, eventually leading to insulin resistance and increased hunger throughout the day "In a recent article, Dr. Barry Sears, president of the non-profit Inflammation Research Foundation, stated.

7 You have the potential to induce severe headaches.

Do you frequently experience severe headaches in the afternoons? It's possible that you aren't eating a proper breakfast. When you skip breakfast in the morning, you invite hypoglycemia later, which is a biological process in which blood sugar levels decrease and blood pressure rises, according to Tata Health. This abrupt increase in blood pressure might also result in painful headaches.

8 You may cause indigestion at night.

According to Life Hack, the human body takes three hours to digest food, so if you make up for a missed breakfast with a larger-than-usual meal at the end of the day, you'll almost certainly go to bed with undigested or semi-digested food in your system. According to News, this might cause discomfort and bloating, as well as disrupted sleep, acid reflux, and possibly strange nightmares.

9 You put yourself at a higher risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.

There are a variety of immediate consequences of skipping breakfast, such as headaches and sugar cravings, but the more subtle consequences of skipping breakfast can have much larger, longer-term consequences on your health. In fact, for some people, skipping breakfast on a regular basis can drastically increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The culprits are chronically elevated insulin resistance and hormone imbalances induced by poor breakfast habits.

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