The Morning Debate – Breakfast VS intermittent Fasting?
Why is breakfast so important?
- Research suggests skipping breakfast is associated with poor cognitive functioning, negative emotional reactivity, difficulty detecting satisfaction from meals, overeating and poorer weight loss outcomes.
- However not all breakfasts are equal.
- The timing and quality of breakfast are crucial.
- Research indicates eating a protein rich and low GI breakfast is important to support sustained energy and healthy eating patterns.
- This is because high GI and high sugar foods, especially first thing in the morning tend to affect cravings, satiety from meals, sensitivity to stress and energy crashes later in the day.
But I am not hungry in the morning?
- Working in the space of weight loss and disordered eating, one of the most common phrases I hear from patients is “I am not hungry in the morning”.
- Firstly, it’s important to highlight not being hungry in the morning, is NOT a positive thing, in fact not being hungry at all is often a sign of illness rather than something we should strive for
- There are several factors that influence hunger in the morning or lack there of
- Lack of routine – when we have unstructured sleeping and esati8ngt patterns this can affect our internal cues to hunger and tiredness at night.
- Low metabolic rate – unstructured eating can lead to less efficient metabolism of food.
- Overeating – from the night before due to skipping earlier in the day.
- Caffeinating on Empty – Falsely dulling morning hunger cues
- The most common reason patients think they are not hungry in the morning is because they are essentially interfering with the hunger signals being communicated to the brain by consuming coffee and/or other caffeinated drinks on an empty stomach. This often then triggers more overeating and emotional eating later in the day.
- People often think by doing this they are “fasting” however most (not all) caffeinate drinks contain enough energy to actually break fast, but not enough energy, to sustain energy till your next meal.
When should I fast?
Intermittent fasting has gained a lot of popularity of late. It can be helpful for assisting more structured eating patterns and encouraging less grazing over the day. However not all fasting is effective, such as:
- If you have an eating disorder.
- If skip breakfast all together rather than delaying it.
- If it results in overeating or severe undereating.
- If it results in emotional eating.
- If it causes significant distress.
- If it results in lack of a balanced diet.
Effective fasting can look like:
- An alternating eating window that is long enough e.g. 8-hour window for shift workers.
- A fasting window between dinner and breakfast
- 2-3 hours gap between meals and snacks following breakfast to avoid grazing.
- Delaying breakfast especially if other meals are eaten much later in the evening.
Benefits of eating a balanced breakfast
- Sustained energy over the day, more productivity, less fatigue
- Positive mood and increased resiliency in response to stressors.
- Less overeating or grazing later in the day.
- More satisfaction from meals, less cravings especially sugar cravings.
- Less stress, mood or fatigue related emotional eating.
- More efficient metabolism of food.
- Better sleep due to the above.
Our teams of Dietitians have some wholesome breakfast ideas just a few clicks away below.
5 quick and healthy breakfast ideas | The BMI Clinic
7 high protein breakfast meals for weight loss | The BMI Clinic
Much like anything else when it comes to our health, there are no black or white answers, not all breakfasts are great and not all fasting is effective – it’s all about balance.
References
- Lin B, Markman EM (2020) Why do we eat cereal but not lamb chops at breakfast? Investigating Americans’ beliefs about breakfast foods. Appetite, 144:104458, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104458
- Benton D, Parker PY (1998) Breakfast, blood glucose, and cognition. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67:772S-778S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/67.4.772S
- Wenk, G.L. (1989) A hypothesis on the role of glucose in the mechanism of action of cognitive enhancers. Psychopharmacology, 99: 431-438.
- Lowe DA et al (2020) Effects of time-restricted eating on weight loss and other metabolic parameters in women and men with overweight and obesity. The TREAT Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 180:1491-1499. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.4153
- Sugarless: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction (2023).
