Breakfast vs. Sleep – the battle continues
Every morning right when I open my eyes I start debating whether to eat breakfast or get those five extra minutes of sleep. Yes, like most of you I go through it every day and unfortunately sleep wins in my case.
Teenagers and in some cases adults often tend to skip the most important meal of the day – breakfast. The reasons vary in each case. While some blame it on sleep, others are too busy preparing for the day ahead of them. Few opt for junk drive thru food as a substitute- the coffee donut mornings. What are we missing on- here’s an insight.
According to an article in Mail Online, ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day: How skipping it increases your chances of a heart attack’, data from a study on older men revealed that skipping breakfast increases the chances of a heart attack by 27 percent. Harvard School of Public Health however over-ruled any long term risk pertaining to the same. The explanation beyond the high risk of heart attack was related to eating routines that followed after skipping breakfast. Most people tend to eat heavier meals with high calories during the day because they are hungrier. This often requires the body to digest at a faster pace i.e. higher metabolism which may not be a characteristic of all individuals as metabolic rates vary. This leads to health conditions like clogged arteries, spikes in blood sugar level, obesity etc.
While most people would advocate for a healthier breakfast some say that it is okay to replace it with a lighter meal later on in the day and that it does not cause any harm to the body. For the most part it has been considered more important to eat a healthier diet whenever you eat it. However, you have to choose for yourself and considering the benefits of a healthy breakfast by Huffington Post you might want to think about it. Here are some of them: 1) According to a study by American Journal of Epidemiology in 2003 breakfast eaters are leaner, 4.5 less obese than those who skip it. 2) It was concluded in the American Heart Association’s annual conference (2003) that people who eat breakfast regularly are healthier, have regulated blood sugar levels and get less hungry during the day. 3) A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition diagnosed breakfast-skippers with bad cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity.4) The Journal of Adolescent Health concluded that healthy breakfast boost short term memory. 5) A study in 2011 journal of Nutrition Research and Practice suggested that people who skip breakfast consume more fat and less nutrients. For more information read Health Benefits Of Breakfast: 7 Reasons Not To Skip Your Morning Meal.
Areej Shah is a graduate from the BBA program, University of Toronto. She currently works as the Marketing Coordinator at Grade Learning and shares her passion for communication and writing through informative social media posts and blogs.