Five reasons breakfast is a must

As the name suggests, breakfast literally breaks the fast. After eating in the evening, you may go for up to 12 hours without food. That’s why it’s crucial to take the time to fuel your body and brain with the energy and nutrients that a good quality brekkie provides.

Many nutrition experts recommend eating 20-25% of your daily kilojoule needs at breakfast.That may be something like a bowl of crunchy cereal and milk topped with fresh fruit and a cuppa, muesli topped with yoghurt and berries or a warming bowl of oats.There is also evidence that the old adage “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” may hold some truth, with evidence showing that having a big brekkie can help control your appetite later in the day. The American Heart Association recommends eating a greater share of the total calorie intake earlier in the day to have positive effects on risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.

Here’s five reasons eating brekkie is a must.

1. Satisfy Hunger

When you eat breakfast, you are less likely to be hungry and overeat during the rest of the day. That is because breakfast helps to stabilise blood sugar levels, which regulates appetite and energy. If you are particularly hungry in the mornings, try a higher fibre breakfast cereal to help keep you full for longer. 2. Weight Management

If you eat breakfast most mornings you are more likely to be a healthier weight than someone who skips breakfast. In fact, an  analysis of Australian Nutrition & Physical Activity Survey data found adults that ate breakfast cereal had a smaller waist, a lower BMI and were more likely to be a healthier weight than people who skipped breakfast or those who ate other brekkie foods. 

3. Nutrition boost

If you regularly start your day with a bowl of breakfast cereal, you are more likely to have a nutritious diet that is higher in vitamins and minerals, especially fibre, iron, calcium folate and magnesium than people that skip brekkie or eat other breakfast foods. 4. School Smarts

Eating breakfast is a must especially for kids heading off to school. A good quality breakfast helps to improve brain function, as well as boosting literacy and numeracy skills. A systematic literature review identified eating brekkie as one of the dietary factors associated with better academic achievement. 5. Live Longer

Regularly staring your day with a bowl of wholegrain cereal may also help you live a longer and healthier life. Eating wholegrain breakfast cereal has been associated with a lower risk of premature death in some studies, as well as reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.