Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

Question

Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day. WebMD tells you why and what it can do for you.

Comments

While many experts agree that eating 3 healthy meals a day is good for ones mental and physical health, there is no definitive data or statement that directly defines breakfast as the most important meal of the day. Many other factors need to be taken into account when defining the importance of a certain aspect of ones dietary health.

In a paper published in the National Institute of Health (NIH), we can read that, "Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day and in recent years has been implicated in weight control, cardio-metabolic risk factors and cognitive performance although, at present, the literature remains inconclusive as to the precise health benefits of breakfast." This means that there has not been a definitive answer as to whether or not breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. In the same article it also states that "significant variation exists in the definitions of breakfast and breakfast skippers, and in methods used to relate breakfast nutrient intakes to overall diet quality". This points to the conclusion that different definitions exist for different people and that different results can be observed within different diets

In the same source cited in the claim, it is stated that "Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. It also gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school. Those are just a few reasons why it’s the most important meal of the day.
Many studies have linked eating breakfast to good health, including better memory and concentration, lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, and lower chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight. It’s hard to know, though, if breakfast causes these healthy habits or if people who eat it have healthier lifestyles", supporting the point that different dietary lifestyles cannot be used to define breakfast as the most important meal of the day.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5986439/#sec1-nutrients-10-00559
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/breakfast-lose-weight

Answer 1

Is Breakfast the most important meal of the day comment

This is a good fact-check; however, there is a portion dedicated in the article you linked to on why kids need breakfast, which would be interesting and add more insight if you also found an article speaking specifically to adults and not just speaking generally on the subject, and also diving into kids.

Answer 2

Although breakfast is an important meal for getting in the vitamins, proteins, and having a well rounded diet, this article is misleading. In the article they don't offer any real evidence proving their claim; they just tend to say "researchers say" or "studies show". They are giving no real evidence to back up the claim. When doing a little bit of research I found multiple articles done by government backed websites explaining how yes there are benefits to eating breakfast, but you cant consider it the "most important". 

Article evidence 1: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5986439/pdf/nutrients-10-00559.pdf

In this article published in the National Library of Medicine, they state that although breakfast, like other meals, is important for getting in proper nutrients, there is simply not sufficient enough research and evidence done on breakfast to support the claim that is the "most important meal". Adding that it is hard for researchers to define what breakfast is, especially across cultures and people. 

Article evidence 2: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/do-you-really-need-to-eat-breakfast

This article cites Beth Czerwony, a registered diatitian with the Cleveland Clinic. This article states that "These studies aren’t randomized clinical trials that prove their importance.". The author goes on to say how hunger varies from every person; don't wake up and force yourself to eat breakfast, wait until your body tells you when and what it needs. 

Article evidence 3: https://www.vailhealth.org/news/the-breakfast-debate-is-it-really-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day

This article states that "It’s important to listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry versus following a diet or rules about eating.". This article states relatively the same logic as the last. Listening to your body is more important than forcing yourself to eat when you're body is not ready. 

So in the end I would say although it is important to get the correct nutrients, and not to over or under eat, this article is misleading. There is no sufficient studies to prove that breakfast is 100% the most important meal, so you can't make the claim it is. It's important to listen to your bodies needs first. 

Answer 3

This claim is vague. Perhaps the concept of the most important meal of the day is more complex than the claim wants to believe. However, there is significant evidence to suggest that breakfast is an important meal and can be beneficial.

Many sources seem to stipulate that while breakfast is highly important it is easy to get wrong. Cleveland Clinic talks about the kinds of breakfast that are helpful to maintain a healthy diet and those that are not. For example, they suggest avoiding processed foods with lots of sugar and sticking to protein heavy breakfasts.  

The original article states that a good morning meal is good for your waistline, while Medical News Today tells us that “At the end of the study, researchers concluded that eating breakfast did not have any significant impact on weight loss compared with not eating breakfast.” The claims made in the original article disregard the fact that each person is a different case and that not every diet works for every person. It is true that those who follow healthy lifestyles are most likely to eat breakfast but that might be correlation not causation.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/is-breakfast-really-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day#Are-people-who-eat-breakfast-healthier

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/do-you-really-need-to-eat-breakfast

Answer 4

This claim is subjective, and cannot be stated as either true or false. In this article, it states that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because without it, you will end up eating fast, sugary foods and have low energy throughout the day. The article also claims that it will kickstart your metabolism, helping you burn more calories. 

 The saying “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” originated from John Harvey Kellogg, creator of the Kellog brand that rules over breakfast foods today. This phrase was used as a marketing strategy to get people to eat more of his foods.  (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/28/breakfast-health-america-kellog-food-lifestyle)

Answer 5

This claim is subjective and cannot be stated as either true or false. In this article, it states that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because without it, you will end up eating fast, sugary foods and have low energy throughout the day. The article also claims that it will kickstart your metabolism, helping you burn more calories. Though it is important to eat a good breakfast, it is also important to eat a good lunch and dinner. This claim can be misguiding people to unthoughtful eating patterns, as all three meals are important to your day. 

 The saying “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” originated from John Harvey Kellogg, creator of the Kellog brand that rules over breakfast foods today. This phrase was used as a marketing strategy to get people to eat more of his foods, in collaboration with the creator of breakfast cereal, James Caleb Jackson. When vitamins became a concern for consumers, breakfast foods started to incorporate it into their marketing strategy.  Advertisements changed with the times to fit what each new decade’s standard of breakfast should be. (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/28/breakfast-health-america-kellog-food-lifestyle)

Answer 6

The claim that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is opinion-based. However, there is a lot of supporting evidence that breakfast really is the most important meal. On the Better Health Channel website, from the Victoria State Government, the article “Breakfast” reinforces this claim. Their research finds that eating breakfast will replenish “your supply of glucose to boost your energy levels and alertness, while also providing other essential nutrients required for good health” (Victoria State Government 2023). Eating breakfast every day is also shown to “improve your...ability to concentrate in the short term, and can help with better weight management, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long term” (Victoria State Government 2023). Skipping breakfast is not ideal, but if you are doing so, make sure you are getting the nutrition you need later that day on what you would be missing out on. 

Furthermore, in the article “Effects of eating breakfast on children and adolescents: A systematic review of potentially relevant outcomes in economic evaluations” by Martina Lundqvist, Nicklas Ennab Vogel, and Lars-Åke Levin, which can be found on the National Library of Medicine (NLM) website, also recognize the benefits of eating breakfast. Once they had conducted their research, they also found that eating breakfast was linked to better “cognitive performance, academic achievement, quality of life and well-being, and morbidity risk factors” (Lundqvist et al. 2019). They also reported on children needing all three meals every day because nourishment is important for them to grow and develop mentally and physically. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons why people do not eat breakfast, but many should reconsider their decision when faced with the facts of how beneficial it is. 

Sources: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/breakfast 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6744840/#abstract1 

Answer 7

I believe this to be a personal opinion. It really depends on what your personal goals are. Many people want to lose weight, so they believe in the morning fasting. This is called Intermittent fasting, and it is believed you can be more energetic and lose weight. (Intermittent Fasting Morning Schedule: Effective Strategies for Energizing Your Day and Boosting Weight Loss – Working While Fasting) While other people want to grow muscle and stay healthy, so eggs or other protein-based breakfast is believed to be best. (What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Eggs Daily) So in conclusion, this statement is for the personal opinion, and what your personal goals are. Some people just want to eat sugar in the morning and then will go on to eat healthy the rest of the day. So, whether it is the most important meal of the day is up to the reader. 

 

Answer 8

Eating in the morning is a controversial topic. Some people eating in the morning is a hard thing to do and can make them feel nauseous. For others that is how they function in the morning. Cleveland Clinic states “Would you start a long road trip in your car with the tank on empty?” asks Czerwony. “Think of eating breakfast the same way. You’re asking a lot of your body to get moving using only your reserves.” Food in the morning not only gives you fuel to start your day but also has a lot of health benefits. When you are fasting overnight and skipping breakfast, it makes the human body's glucose level low. “Once all of the energy from your glycogen stores is used up, your body starts to break down fatty acids to produce the energy it needs. But without carbohydrate, fatty acids are only partially oxidised, which can reduce your energy levels.” Better Health Channel. Breakfast foods are also rich in vitamins including calcium, fiber, B vitamin, and iron. On the other hand, eating breakfast also has health disadvantages. Most breakfast foods are high in sugar which puts people more at risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or high blood pressure. Overall breakfast isn’t proven to be the most important meal but it does help fuel you for the day.