Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

Joseph Chance (0:04)

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

Thanks for asking.

You may well have been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you shouldn't skip it. But did you know that prior to the industrial revolution, all people would eat for breakfast was leftovers from the previous day, typically meat and eggs? Even then, that was only if they were hungry, otherwise they wouldn't eat at all. These days, a typical breakfast in the western world is something sweet, like a bowl of cereal, toast with jam or a pastry. Habits really began to change after the industrial revolution, which saw rural populations moving to cities and our habits begin to change. Farming work was gradually replaced by factory jobs, and many people started having digestive issues. A more sedentary lifestyle made digestion harder, and a diet rich in cereals became a solution, partly thanks to the influence of American nutritionists. How did we get from breakfast being optional to being the most important meal of the day then? One of the first people to make that claim was American nutritionist Lena F. Cooper. Writing in Good Health magazine in 1917, she suggested that in many ways, the breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because it is the meal that gets the day started.

The magazine's owner and editor-in-chief at the time was a certain John Harvey Kellogg. Yes, Kellogg as in the cereals. He was a doctor and nutritionist. Along with recommending light therapy and hydrotherapy to his patients, he advocated for a diet that was low in meat and fat, but high in cereals. And that's how cornflakes were born.

According to the Huffington Post, Kellogg and other light breakfast proponents believed these foods were better not just for the body, but the spirit and the soul, as they discouraged gluttony. His brother Will Keith Kellogg saw the marketing potential of cornflakes and began selling them in 1907 The product was an instant hit. But aren't cereals packed with sugar these days? Well that really depends on the cereal. You're absolutely right though that sugar is something to watch out for when looking at ingredient labels on packaging. If your breakfast is too high in sugar, your blood sugar levels may spike in the morning, causing your body to produce insulin and leading to an energy crash later in the morning. Instead, nutritionists tend to advise opting for a balanced breakfast that includes a whole grain product like a whole wheat bread or low sugar cereals, a dairy product such as yogurt or cottage cheese, a piece of fruit or freshly squeezed juice, and a low sugar drink like coffee or tea. If you're concerned about your diet, don't hesitate to talk to your GP about it. There you have it.

Now you know whether breakfast is really the most important meal of the day. In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you will really know for sure.