Is breakfast important?

We know that a least a quarter of Te Atatu Toasted fans don’t eat breakfast every day. You are not alone - surveys show that up to a third of New Zealanders sometimes skip the most important meal.

Naturally, the team at Te Atatu Toasted are big believers in eating a good breakfast, and reading the research that proves the benefits of this healthy habit should turn everyone into a convert.

Eating breakfast regularly can help you lose weight and maintain that weight by revving up your metabolism to burn calories throughout the day.

If you miss a meal, your body doesn’t know when it’s next going to get food. If your body doesn’t know when its next meal is coming, it will store everything it can as fat to use later.

Skipping breakfast can also result in unhealthy choices further down the track. Hands up if you have skipped breakfast because you were running late, then ended up eating a pastry or a muffin mid-morning? People who miss breakfast might think they are cutting down on calories but they can end up eating more by bingeing when the hunger pangs kick in.

But eating foods with protein and fibre in the morning gets you off to a smart start by keeping your appetite in check for the rest of the day. That’s why Te Atatu Toasted mueslis and cereals are packed with wholefood ingredients – it means they are low in sugar and high in nutrition to keep you feeling full longer.

A study that tracked a group of people who lost weight and kept it off for a year found 78 per cent reported eating breakfast every day, and almost 90 per cent reported eating breakfast at least five days a week, which suggests eating breakfast is a great strategy for losing weight and keeping it off.

Food is fuel for our bodies and our brains - if you want to stay mentally sharp, you need nourishment from the time you get up. Studies have shown that eating breakfast is associated with better memory, concentration, learning, and creativity. In fact, when children eat a balanced breakfast, they perform better academically. It stands to reason that adults who do the same will cope much better with their busy day. On the flip side, if you miss breakfast you are more likely to get stomach pains and headaches caused by hunger, making learning and test-taking challenging.

People who eat breakfast every day are physically healthier– they are more likely to meet the nutritional recommendations for vitamins A, C, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, iron, protein and fibre.

They are also less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes (skipping breakfast can lead to insulin resistance) and they will have better heart health. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that US adults who skip breakfast were at a higher risk for heart disease. A follow up with the participants of the same study concluded that skipping breakfast is associated with a significantly higher risk of mortality from heart disease.  

Eating breakfast could also help prevent headaches or migraines. A study in Iran showed that university students that skipped breakfast had a higher risk of consistent headaches. The students that ate breakfast reported fewer headaches or migraines.

So, by simply taking the time to enjoy a delicious bowl of muesli each morning, you can improve your mental and physical health and avoid conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. What are you waiting for?