Picture this scenario: It’s five o’clock in the morning. The alarm goes off. You jump out of bed frantically and head straight for the bathroom to take a warm shower. After getting dressed, the rest of the morning is complete chaos. In between you cooking breakfast for the kids, packing their lunches and making sure they get to the bus stop on time, your head is spinning! In an effort to beat the morning traffic and arrive to work on time, you dash right out the door on an empty stomach. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
According to a 2011 study conducted by the NPD group, 31 million Americans don’t eat breakfast. The two biggest reasons why most people skip out on breakfast are because 1) We’re short on time and/or 2) We’re trying to lose weight. One of the biggest myths out there is that skipping breakfast helps you lose weight when it’s actually the exact opposite.
Still not convinced that skipping breakfast is bad for you? Here are five reasons that just might change your mind.
1. Slows down your metabolism
Metabolism is important because it refers to your body’s ability to burn calories. Eating regularly keeps your metabolism burning, which makes it easier to lose weight. Skipping breakfast is especially bad because after going seven to 10 hours – or however long you sleep – without any food, your body needs food to kick-start your metabolism and supply you with the energy you need for the rest of the day.
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2. Leads to overeating
Skipping breakfast in the morning causes you to overeat later on in the day because when you start your day off without food, your cravings kick into overdrive. This causes you want to eat almost everything in sight.
3. Lowers your energy levels
When you skip breakfast, your body doesn’t get the fuel that it needs. The result? You’re too tired and drained to complete the day’s tasks.
4. Breaks your concentration
Do you have trouble concentrating? Do you regularly skip breakfast? Well, believe it or not, there’s actually a correlation between the two. Skipping meals lowers your concentration levels, making you less productive.
5. Lowers your blood sugar levels
Going hours without food can cause your blood sugar levels to plummet so low that you begin to experience hypoglycemia, which is when the amount of sugar in your blood drops below 4.0 mmol/L. When this happens, you may experience sweating, dizziness, shaking and nausea. Not fun! You can prevent this by eating small snacks often throughout the day.
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