Clouded with endless chores within one's morning routine, the day's most important meal is often forgotten, lost within the interminable perils of the dreaded morning commute. As one has limited time to prepare breakfast within our busy 21st-century lifestyle, the feeling of being hungry and angry ('hangry') becomes part of our personality. This is often due to our blood sugar levels dropping, resulting in an embarrassing mood in front of our colleagues. While some view skipping breakfast as part of a dietary cycle, there are many side effects you're signing up for that are hidden.

As skipping breakfast results in little energy for your body required to properly function, the development of stress hormones begins to increase. Stress hormones produced by the adrenal gland are further manufactured by the imbalance of cortisol levels within one's activity. Eating breakfast in the mornings becomes more important than fulfilling the desire to eat. These feelings of being "hangry" can be expelled by bringing hormone levels to an optimal level.

Another factor contributing to the decline of your physical health resulting from skipping breakfast is the imbalance of metabolism production. As a meal such as breakfast encourages your body to burn calories, skipping this meal will encourage your body to store the unburnt energy. This results in your metabolism slowing down. This can even lead to weight gain as your body is postponed from the nutrients it needs to function adequately. This results in cravings for unhealthy foods higher than eating a nutritional breakfast. Studies have indicated that skipping breakfast was associated with an increase in body weight, corresponding to a higher rate of obesity. In a recent study, skipping breakfast for 4-5 days per week is associated with a 55% increase in developing type 2 diabetes. These reports have indicated that breakfast consumption is associated with increased appetite and satiation and higher intakes of fibre and vitamins. Another report which surveyed 9926 US individuals, examined the relationship of skipping breakfast and cardiovascular mortality. It highlighted a strong relationship. A total of 2595 deaths were linked to higher cardiovascular mortality in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease risk due to skipping breakfast. 

Interestingly, individuals may choose to “intermittent fast” as an alternative to eating a nutritious breakfast. Intermittent fasting is the practice of not consuming any food for hours within a specific week. The only sense of relief any individual may experience is through drinking water or herbal teas. The benefits that arise from intermittent fasting have been reported to include increased metabolism and weight loss. However, as many may choose to intermittent fast, the risk of obtaining diabetes through skipping meals is still prominent. Arguably, current research on fasting lacks substantial evidence on its benefits and suggests contradictory effects. Consequently, this had led to debates over long term effects. Studies show some harmful effects of fasting due to damages of the pancreas as it affects insulin functions compared to eating a nutritious breakfast. The issue of type-2 diabetes is far more prominent if individuals may be overweight or have existing health conditions. This is due to insulin resistance being higher in some cases. These studies suggest that intermittent fasting is not beneficial as an alternative to skipping breakfast for fasting. Rather, individuals should seek to consume a nutritious breakfast. However, as intermittent fasting’s studies are still in their infancy, some research has suggested that it is beneficial to one’s health. For example, some studies have shown that intermittent fasting boosts verbal memory amongst adults. This is complemented with the increase of physical performance. Also, studies have indicated that men who fast for 16 hours displayed fat loss whilst maintaining muscle mass. That said, it would be fair to conclude that when fasting is properly conducted and healthy dieting adhered to during such periods, there are potential positive effects for some individuals. Nevertheless, we will deep dive into the benefits of intermittent fasting in a future article.   Despite this, meal replacement brands such as vybey are perfect examples of how individuals seek to fulfil the desire to eat nutritiously, resulting in benefits such as weight loss. However, as some people opt for intermittent fasting, those pesky cravings for eating may overcome your willingness to fast. Think about your feelings of being hungry and craving unhealthy foods because of not eating nutritiously. Do you think you can overcome the willingness to eat?

But what does a healthy breakfast look like? What should you be incorporating within breakfast for your body to gain a nutritious start to the day? Unprocessed foods from the five food groups, such as dairy, protein foods (such as eggs), grains, vegetables, and fruits, have a range of health benefits. With vybey’s complete meal replacement shake, you're in luck as it contains an optimal blend of macro and micronutrients - protein, carbs, essential fats, fibre and 26 vitamins and minerals. This means having a nutritious start to the day couldn’t be easier. Nevertheless, we’re all about balance at vybey and if you have time you could have foods such as eggs (foods high in protein) that allows your body to repair cells and work efficiently. This is because proteins are made up of building blocks of amino acids, making muscle and bone. Protein-rich foods include Greek yoghurt, scrambled eggs, lean meat, and mashed potato are also great sources of protein for breakfast. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Whether you're in a rush or don't have enough time to prepare breakfast, finding a nutritional balance is essential to fuel your body. To reduce the state of feeling "hangry" and stressed, breakfast offers your physical and mental health an opportunity to repair itself. This can be achieved through eating foods from the five food groups. Through the importance of having a nutritious breakfast, the benefits far outweigh the costs of being late. Be on your A-Game through actually eating breakfast, and actually achieve those PB’s. Just remember, don’t skip breakfast…

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Brown West-Rosenthal, L. (2021). 21 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Skip Breakfast. Eat This, Not That! https://www.eatthis.com/effects-of-skipping-breakfast/

Future Fit. (n.d.). The Nutritional Effects of Skipping Breakfast. Future Fit. https://www.futurefit.co.uk/blog/the-nutritional-effects-of-skipping-breakfast/#metabolism

Ballon, A., Neuenschwander, M. & Schlesinger, S. (2018). Breakfast Skipping Is Associated with Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes among Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. The Journal of Nutrition. https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/149/1/106/5167902

The Whole U. (n.d.). What Does a Healthy Breakfast Look Like?. The Whole U. https://thewholeu.uw.edu/2021/12/20/what-does-a-healthy-breakfast-look-like/

Better Health. (n.d.). Protein. Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/protein

Llyas, K. (2022). 11 Potential Side Effects of Skipping Breakfast. Healthwire. https://healthwire.pk/healthcare/side-effects-of-skipping-breakfast/ 

Rai, V. The best breakfast options for those on the intermittent fasting diet. Vogue. https://www.vogue.in/content/intermittent-fasting-diet-best-breakfast-options

Xie, J., Huang, H., Chen, Y., Xu, L., & Xu, C. (2022). Skipping breakfast is associated with an increased long-term cardiovascular mortality in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) but not MAFLD-free individuals. Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics.  55(2), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16727

European Society of Endocrinology. (2018). Could intermittent fasting diets increase diabetes risk? https://jornal.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Bonassa_fastingdiabetes_PR_final.pdf

John Hopkins University. n.d. Intermittent Fasting: What is it, and how does it work?. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work 

[1] Brown West-Rosenthal, L. (2021). 21 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Skip Breakfast

[2] Future Fit. (n.d.). The Nutritional Effects of Skipping Breakfast

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Llyas, K. (2022). 11 Potential Side Effects of Skipping Breakfast. Healthwire.

[6] Brown West-Rosenthal, L. (2021). 21 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Skip Breakfast

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Rai, V. The best breakfast options for those on the intermittent fasting diet. Vogue.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] The Whole U. (n.d.). What Does a Healthy Breakfast Look Like?

[13] Better Health. (n.d.). Protein.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.