As anyone who leads a busy life can attest, making and eating a nutritious breakfast everyday can be a real struggle. Whether you’re always running late, always pressed for time, or simple just can’t get the kids moving, breakfast is one of those meals that’s the first to go when life gets busy.
However, dietitian Susie Burrell, says there’s a few myths about breakfast that many people believe, and shouldn’t. Here, Susie debunks the myths surrounding breakfast and reveals the truth.
Myth #1 Skipping breakfast is a good way to lose weight
“This is a common myth, however, it’s effectiveness dependent on the individual and their lifestyle and personal preferences,” says Susie. “For many busy people, eating a nutrient-rich breakfast is a key way to help control hunger throughout the morning and to help manage your overall food consumption throughout the day. If all you can think about is food until lunchtime, it’s not effective for productivity or overall wellbeing.”
“Recent research by the UNCLE TOBYS Oats team found that 17 per cent of people who skipped breakfast choose to buy nutritionally inferior junk food on the way to work instead, which is not good for anyone wanting to control their weight.”
Myth #2 Skipping breakfast doesn’t make a difference
“Although there is some confusion around breakfast, we’ve all heard that productive and healthy people generally eat breakfast,” says Susie. “To an extent, this is true. Eating a balanced breakfast is effective for maintaining energy, increasing satiety, reducing daily calorie intake and improves the quality of food choices throughout the day.”
“It has also been shown that memory and productivity may be affected in those who don’t start the day with breakfast and as such, ideally we should all try and eat something to kick start the day, even if it is a coffee and a piece of fruit.”
Myth #3 There’s no time for breakfast
“25 per cent of Aussies admit they miss breakfast at least once a week (according to research conducted by UNCLE TOBYS),” says Susie. “There is always time to focus on your health and nutrition, even of that means getting up five minutes earlier.”
Myth #4 Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
“When your parents said breakfast was the most important meal of the day, they weren’t wrong. No matter how busy life becomes, ensuring you eat a nutritious breakfast is still the best way to kick start the body’s metabolism, and help us get the energy we need to start the day. However, by treating every meal as the most important meal of the day you can ensure you are getting all the right nutrition you need and don’t get into the habit of eating poorly or inferior nutrition later in the day.”
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Myth #5 Eat breakfast and you’ll eat less throughout the day
“It has been shown that eating breakfast helps to reduce poor quality snacking throughout the day,” says Susie. “When it comes to optimal nutrition, it’s not necessarily about eating less, rather it’s about eating the right types of foods.”
“Ideally, we want to eat more lean proteins, fresh fruit, salad and vegetables throughout the day and less of the higher fat and sugary choices that can be tempting when we haven’t had a good breakfast to fuel our bodies optimally throughout the first half of the day.”
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