“Some patients do fine eating two meals a day, while others feel hungrier and overeat later if they skip breakfast,” explains Beth Kitchin, PhD, RDN, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama (UAB) department of nutrition sciences in Birmingham. “We are all different. You have to figure out what works for you.”
Much of the Research on the Importance of Breakfast May Be Biased
For a long time, the consensus has been that people who eat breakfast tend to be thinner, and that breakfast eating helps people consume fewer calories later in the day, thus leading to weight loss. But the proof simply isn’t there, according to UAB research published in December 2015 in Critical Reviews in Food Science Nutrition. Turns out, most of the studies that linked breakfast with weight loss relied on each study subject’s own report of what he or she ate, a method known to provide weak evidence, says Dr. Kitchin. The only way to really know if breakfast plays a crucial role in weight loss is to look at the results of randomized controlled clinical trials, the gold standard in research, Kitchin explains. And, as it turns out, a systematic review and analysis of 13 such studies published January 30, 2019, in the journal BMJ found that the opposite is true: Breakfast eaters consumed more calories during the day, while breakfast skippers lost about a pound more than folks assigned to eat the morning meal. “The study suggests that the addition of breakfast might not be a good strategy for weight loss,” the authors concluded, adding that the case isn’t open-and-shut, because the quality of the studies was low. In addition, several studies have suggested that eating a high-protein breakfast may help folks trim down. For example, one oft-cited study coauthored by scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia department of physiology and nutrition found that premenopausal women who started their day by consuming between 30 and 39 grams of protein ate fewer calories at lunch. It’s important to note that this research was funded by Hillshire Brands, makers of sausages, hot dogs, and other protein-packed foods. Kitchin has a different opinion, saying that as long as you take in sufficient nutrients throughout each day, there really isn’t a huge danger of weight gain over time. The exception might be if you are a morning exerciser. If so, Cassetty says, it’s important to replenish protein and carbohydrate stores post-workout to maximize recovery. Yet even this is not a hard-and-fast rule. A small study published in the August 2019 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, for example, suggests that skipping breakfast before a workout and then not eating until midday could reduce the amount of calories you take in during the rest of the day. In other words, as of yet there’s no definitive answer to the breakfast question, which is why the best advice is to listen to your own body and your healthcare team to determine what works for you.
How to Build a Smart Breakfast (if You’re Eating One)
If you wake up hungry or if you simply want to eat breakfast, choosing a meal that is healthy and balanced — rather than, say, reaching for a bowl of sugary cereal, a pastry, or white toast with jam — is the wisest approach. To optimize your breakfast:
Reach for whole grains. Whole-grain breads and cereals are better choices than their white or refined-grain counterparts because they’re packed with belly-filling fiber, says Kitchin. Tip: Top your whole-grain bread with nut butter and you’ll have a meal that provides protein and healthy fats too.Pack in protein. Aim for at least 20 grams (g) of protein per breakfast, advises Cassetty. (Go on the higher side of this range if you’re more active or a man.) That might be a smoothie made with plain Greek yogurt, fruit, and greens. (One 7-ounce [oz] container of low-fat Greek yogurt supplies 20 g of protein.) Or cottage cheese and fruit (one cup of low-fat cottage cheese has 24 g of protein). If you have more time to cook, two eggs and an egg white offer 16 g of protein.Try grab-and-go oats. If you rush out the door most mornings, try prepping containers of overnight oats to ensure you have a stress-free nutritious breakfast. They’re easily prepared by combining old-fashioned oats with nonfat or low-fat milk or yogurt, or soy or almond milk, plus fruit, spices, or nuts and letting the creamy mixture sit in your refrigerator while you sleep, says Cassetty.Consider nontraditional foods. There’s nothing wrong with breaking out of a breakfast rut by eating a turkey sandwich or chicken leftovers for breakfast if that’s what you’re in the mood for, says the Tuscaloosa, Alabama–based dietitian Carolyn Williams, PhD, RD, the author of Meals That Heal: 100+ Everyday Anti-Inflammatory Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less. Other good options might include hearty lentil soup, salad topped with hard-boiled eggs and chickpeas, a veggie, goat cheese, and brown rice wrap, or even a handful or two of nut-and-dried-fruit trail mix. “I’m big on individualizing recommendations for people,” says Kitchin.
Bottom line: If you’re struggling with your weight and are skipping breakfast, it’s worth it to try to eat breakfast and see if it helps you make healthier choices during the day or better controls your hunger, Kitchin says. It’s all about finding what’s going to work for your tastes, appetite, goals, and lifestyle.
