Why eating breakfast is good for your health

We all have heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”.  I always emphasize to students how important breakfast is to children’s health and recent research is showing to adult health as well.  


Adult Health
Research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that breakfast skippers increase their risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke.  And the risk is huge.  The study found that people who skipped breakfast had not only a higher risk of dying from heart disease but breakfast skippers had an 87% higher risk of dying from heart disease than those who took the time to eat breakfast every day.  And it just wasn’t a study of “old” people.  The 6,550 study participants ages ranged from 40 to 75.  

How often did the people in the study skip or eat breakfast?
  • 5.1% never ate breakfast
  • 10.9% rarely ate breakfast
  • 25% had breakfast sometimes
  • 59% ate breakfast every day
 Unfortunately, the study didn’t provide information on what people ate for breakfast.  And for those “breakfast skippers” did they raid the office snack machines around 10 AM?  I once asked an adult what they had for breakfast and they said, “nothing”.  I then asked what was the first thing they ate that day and what time did they eat it.  Well, the person said they got hungry around 10 AM, went to the candy machine and bought 2 Snicker’s bars.  When I said that they ate candy for breakfast, they were quite surprised.  So, better studies are needed to find out what those who ate breakfast ate and if the “breakfast skippers” had a late breakfast of junk food. 

Why did skipping breakfast increase one’s risk of dying from heart disease or stroke? 
The study found that skipping breakfast has some adverse effects on one’s health.  Breakfast skippers had a higher risk of high blood cholesterol levels, increased obesity risk, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  The finding of an increased risk of heart disease for breakfast skippers is supported by  study published in 2013 that found men who ate breakfast had a lower risk of heart disease. 

Also, are the breakfast skippers more likely to have an unhealthy lifestyle?  Seems so, as those who skipped breakfast were also former smokers, or heavy drinkers, or not physically active, and had poor diets overall. 

Children’s Health
Some attribute breakfast skipping to a habit learned in childhood.  And children who skip breakfast are at increased risk of childhood obesity.  Parents who let their kids skip breakfast, may be letting their kids skip out on important nutrients.  Breakfast skipping kids are more likely to have diets low in iron, calcium and folate compared to kids who eat breakfast every day.  Not a surprise since juice like orange juice provides the vitamin folate and the vitamin C in OJ helps a kid absorb the iron in a breakfast cereal that has iron in it.  And who doesn’t put milk on their cereal which would provide the much-needed calcium a growing child needs? 
Healthy French Toast
Make this a no-skip breakfast week.  Grab something for breakfast every day.  Aim for at least 100 calories.  Drink that cup of OJ.  Make a smoothie to drink in the car while you commute.  Put out the breakfast bowls and cereal before bed so everything is easy and quick to have a morning bowl of cereal.  Even a glass of real milk would supply some important nutrients a child needs for growth such as calcium and vitamin D.  When commuting, I would sometimes bring something to eat in the car.  Some OJ, coffee of course, and some Wheat Chex mixed with raisins.  Then at morning break I would have a yogurt to round out my morning in the car “breakfast”.  Leftovers count.  If your child, (or you), grabs a piece of leftover pizza and a glass of milk or juice, that would count as breakfast.  Try some healthy French toast or a healthy breakfast sandwich, recipe below.  

Healthy Breakfast Sandwich
  • Nonsting sprayck cooking spray
  • 4 eggs + 4 egg whites
  • ¼ c.  minced chives
  • ¼ c. minced parsley
  •  4 whole-wheat English muffins
  •  4  ½ inch round slices Canadian bacon
  • 1 beefsteak tomato, sliced into ½ inch thick slices
      Directions:  Whisk eggs and egg whites together in a bowl.  Add chves and parsley and stir.  Spray a large pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Ladle ¼ of the egg mixture into the pan and cook, omelet style.  Slide the omelet onto a plate, cover with foil to keep warm. Make the remaining egg omelets.  Heat the Canadian bacon until warm about 1-2 minutes per side.  Toast English muffin, fold omelet in to fit on English muffin, place on 1 muffin half.  Top with bacon slice, tomato and other muffin half. Enjoy a tasty breakfast sandwich! 
Healthy Breakfast Sandwich


Sources:  Journal of the American College of Cardiology, study, lifestyle, habit, nutrients    Image sources:  Oatmeal, Sandwich, Toast

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