Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

Breakfast has long been regarded as the most important meal of the day. But is that accurate?

Eating soon after you wake up, or ‘breaking the fast’, has been a nutritional standard for good health. Conventional wisdom says eating right away kickstarts the metabolism and can help you lose weight.

While breakfast can absolutely give you a healthy start to the day, it’s essential to recognise that meeting nutritional needs is more about the overall quality and balance of daily meals, than the timing of a specific meal.

Dietitian Susie Burrell says there are studies linking breakfast consumption with lower weight and better health overall, but this was because breakfast-eaters were more likely to engage in other healthy behaviours as well.

Breakfast-skippers tended to display unhealthier behaviours, suggesting the positive link between breakfast and health may be psychological rather than nutritional in nature.

“While sitting down to a bowl of whole grains or eggs and vegies each morning is often associated with starting the day right, the science is not as convincing,” Ms Burrell says.

“What we do know is that there is an association between eating breakfast and having a lower body weight and a better overall intake of key nutrients including dietary fibre.”

She points to an analysis of close to 10,000 Australians published in the journal Nutrients that found 12 per cent of adults routinely skipped breakfast.

Breakfast skippers were more likely to be overweight, consumed fewer whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, and had the highest overall intake of junk foods.

What about intermittent fasting?

You’re probably aware of the health and weight loss trend known as ‘intermittent fasting’. At its core, the concept is about eliminating one meal each day, usually breakfast, in order to extend the period you go without food.

Proponents of the method swear by its results, and a quick internet search will bring up a plethora of photo evidence of fasters losing weight and generally looking healthy.

A 2021 meta-analysis of 11 randomised clinical trials involving intermittent fasting found the practice had a positive effect on obesity-related health outcomes, lowering patients’ weight and improving certain metabolic markers such as insulin resistance.

This would suggest skipping breakfast is actually a positive when it comes to your health, but again the improved health outcomes were found to be the result of the subjects adopting a range of other healthy behaviours too.

Is breakfast important or not?

The short answer is not in the way it has traditionally been sold to us. Breakfast can absolutely play a role in a healthy day, but it’s also perfectly possible to be healthy without it.

What really matters is what you’re eating and how you behave the rest of the day.

A well-balanced diet spread across the day ensures that your body receives a steady supply of essential nutrients. Focusing on nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains during lunch and dinner can contribute significantly to meeting daily nutritional requirements.

By distributing your nutritional intake across meals, you’re less likely to experience energy crashes and resort to unhealthy snacking. A well-planned lunch and dinner can help maintain stable energy levels and reduce the temptation to indulge in less nutritious snacks.

Ultimately, whether you need breakfast or not is down to you.

“Every person is different, with differing energy requirements, metabolic needs and dietary goals,” says Ms Burrell.

“But if you wake up and are hungry an hour or two after waking, you are best to eat a nutritious, satisfying meal that will fuel you for several hours.”

Do you eat breakfast every day? Has it had a noticeable impact on your health? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also read: Healthy and affordable breakfast swaps