Your oatmeal, sir: five misconceptions about breakfast

Misconception #1 – eating breakfast will help you eat less throughout the day

The truth: eating in the morning has no effect on reducing appetite throughout the day.

Research from the University of Missouri has proven that breakfast, especially if you include high-protein meals in your first meal, increases blood dopamine levels. And dopamine is responsible in our body for feelings of satisfaction and satiety. In theory, your appetite should decrease throughout the day. But scientists’ research shows us an ideal world picture. Many people do not have enough three meals a day, they constantly need some kind of energy (carbohydrate) snack, the reason for this can be stress, hard physical work, chronic sleep deprivation and much more. In this case, one breakfast will not reduce appetite. Therefore, do not bet only on the first meal, it is much more important to competently distribute the number of calories consumed throughout the day to ensure that the body is satiated gradually.

Misconception #2 – it is absolutely necessary to eat before a morning workout

In fact: cardio workouts and short strength training can be done on an empty stomach.

Here everything is ambiguous. Many running enthusiasts and even professional athletes are used to doing the first morning workout on an empty stomach. Doctors and scientists agree on this: if the physical load is not too high, you can safely skip breakfast to avoid discomfort and heaviness during running or morning exercise. However, if you realize that you are going to have a serious strength training or very energy-consuming training in the water, it is better to replace a dense morning breakfast with a snack. It can be a carbohydrate bar, a banana or tea with sugar. In any case, it is necessary to start from your personal preferences.

Misconception #3 – breakfast will help you lose weight

Actually: breakfast does not guarantee that you will eat less than usual during the day.

Not long ago, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study that showed that for people whose goal is to lose weight, it doesn’t matter so much whether you eat breakfast right after waking up or skip the first meal. The study involved healthy overweight people. After 16 weeks, the scientists found that those subjects who ate in the morning did not have more success in losing weight. So we can conclude that the presence or absence of breakfast is not a key factor in weight loss. What matters more is its composition. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, it is not enough to just start eating breakfast. It is much more important to pay proper attention to what exactly you eat and how regularly.

Misconception #4 – instant porridge is harmful

The truth is: not all instant porridge is harmful.

Almost all instant porridges contain a lot of sugar – this is their biggest disadvantage. Despite this, you should not forget that cereals themselves are rich in fiber, which improves the composition of intestinal microflora, helps digest food, and at the same time reduce the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. In order for instant porridge to benefit you, carefully study the composition of the mixture and calculate the calorie content of your portion.

Misconception #5 – breakfast is the most important meal of the day

In fact: it is important to properly distribute your rations throughout the day, and not to eat the entire norm at breakfast.

We have already mentioned that if you want to lose weight, it does not matter how many times you eat – two or more. What matters is the number of calories consumed during the day and the quality of the food (its composition). Therefore, it is difficult to call breakfast the most important meal of the day, because lunch, dinner and timely snacks are also necessary for our body.