We've often heard the adage that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day.” While it may sound cliché, it holds significant truth for those striving for a healthy diet. What we eat for breakfast can profoundly impact our daily performance and energy levels. It's not just about what we eat, but also when we eat breakfast that can make all the difference between a day filled with energy and productivity versus one marked by fatigue and brain fog.
Starting your day with the right meal can enhance metabolism, regulate blood sugar levels, reduce hunger cravings, and provide essential fuel for your body. However, knowing the optimal timing for breakfast is an additional step that can elevate your well-being, boost energy levels, support a healthy gut and accelerate metabolism
What time to eat breakfast to stay fit
Breakfast is usually a meal you have at home as soon as you wake up, or before you leave the house after washing and getting ready for the day, or at the café right after you leave. If we were to think of a hypothetical time, breakfast should be eaten between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., that is, in the wake-up time slot. Therefore, it is taken for granted that the time you get up is the right time to have breakfast. But what if it is not? There is in fact an ideal time to eat breakfast, which does not necessarily correspond to the time of waking up. Indeed, it may be the case that in some cases it is preferable to postpone breakfast by an hour or two in order to have it at the correct time. And what's more, there is no single right time for breakfast, because the correct one varies from person to person, and wanting even from day to day depending on what was done the night before.
Typically, breakfast is enjoyed as soon as you wake up, before leaving the house or at a café shortly after departing for work. While convention suggests breakfast should fall within the 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. slot, it may not always hold. However, there is an ideal time to eat breakfast, which does not necessarily correspond to the time of waking up. Sometimes, it's beneficial to delay breakfast by an hour or two to ensure it's consumed at the right time but there's no universally correct breakfast time. It varies from person to person and can even fluctuate daily based on the activities of the evening before.
You can easily calculate the best breakfast time by ensuring there's a minimum of 12 hours between your dinner the night before and meal time the next morning. For instance, if you dine at 8:00 pm, the optimal breakfast time would be 8:00 am. Of course, if you have an early dinner, breakfast could be earlier or maintained at your usual time, allowing for a fasting period longer than 12 hours. Conversely, if dinner is delayed, it's important to calculate the appropriate breakfast time, which may involve pushing it later into the morning.
Passing a window of at least 12 hours of fasting between these meals helps the gut microbiome and all its billions of good bacteria to function at their best, because doing so gives them a chance to have a resting phase from their daily work, so they can regenerate and make the gut work well. A healthy gut is crucial to the health of the body, and taking care of it can also help speed up the metabolism, which keeps us fit.
If I wake up late can I skip breakfast?
The question arises as to how we should behave when we have a late dinner and then, calculating the 12-hour fast, find ourselves having breakfast late in the morning. Until what time is it possible to put it off? And if I have a late dinner and wake up late, do I still have to eat it or can I skip it?
Research published in the National Library of Medicine suggests that eating breakfast by 9:00 a.m. can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 60 per cent. This is because our metabolism functions better in the early morning and becomes more insulin-resistant as the day progresses. Insulin is crucial for regulating blood sugar levels. When we're insulin resistant, blood sugar levels rise, which can lead to weight gain, especially around the belly area, and in the long term, it can increase the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes. Eating breakfast early can help the body metabolize food more effectively.
However, 9:00 a.m. should only be considered as a guideline time. If you dine late, you can still wait 12 hours before eating a light breakfast, even a cookie and coffee, without putting off lunch. It's okay as long as dining late was just for an occasion, and not a habit. Having a late dinner and then skipping breakfast is a very bad combination.
Research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology highlights how in individuals who dine late and do not habitually eat breakfast, the risk of incurring cardiovascular disease such as heart attack increases, while also increasing inflammation and oxidative stress. Besides, why skip it if it gives us energy and there are so many healthy savory or sweet breakfast recipes to choose from?
This article first appeared on vogue.it
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