4 ms·

Well there is no shortage of people who like breakfast (or are in charge of selling people breakfast) and hand wave about it being "the most important meal of t

by jonknee 10y ago

Well there is no shortage of people who like breakfast (or are in charge of selling people breakfast) and hand wave about it being "the most important meal of the day". The truth is probably people have different metabolisms and if you are hungry in the morning you should eat and if you are not you shouldn't. And that's almost exactly what this post suggests: > The bottom line is that the evidence for the importance of breakfast is something of a mess. If you’re hungry, eat it. But don’t feel bad if you’d rather skip it, and don’t listen to those who lecture you. Breakfast has no mystical powers.

thomasahle 10y ago
And again other people may have metabolisms that need to be "kick started" in the morning by breakfast, to keep a stable bloodsugar level during the day.
- jonknee 10y ago
  No shit: > people have different metabolisms and if you are hungry in the morning you should eat and if you are not you shouldn't
  - lmm 10y ago
    People with the metabolism the grandparent describes don't feel hungry in the morning, but nevertheless should eat in the morning.
- fu9ar 10y ago
  Did you read the article or just head straight into posting this morning?
bgilroy26 10y ago
>The truth is probably people have different metabolisms and if you are hungry in the morning you should eat and if you are not you shouldn't. Bodies don't always cooperate, if you are going to exercise strenuously in a given day you had better eat some kind of breakfast whether your body feels like it or not. Breakfast is always going to be the opportunity to eat when you have more of the day ahead of you. That's true by definition, and it's the principle behind the chestnut about it being the most important meal of the day. There isn't much more to it than that.
- forgetsusername 10y ago
  >if you are going to exercise strenuously in a given day you had better eat some kind of breakfast whether your body feels like it or not Or what? As someone who has undertaken week long fasts while participating in competitive sports with no discernible performance difference, I'm skeptical. Your body doesn't "run out of fuel" because you haven't eaten for 12 hours. Everyone is different. These rules of thumb, including breakfast being extra special, are silly.
  - ethbro 10y ago
    Well, it runs out of certain kinds of fuel. But luckily, evolution gifted us with multiple Plan B's to prevent silly malnourished mammals from keeling over the first time they missed a meal!
- collyw 10y ago
  Meh, I did 4 hours driving followed by 4 or 5 hours of whitewater kayaking on Saturday, with hardly anything to eat until afterwards. (I have been doing a bit of intermittent fasting the last couple of years, and that seems to help in such situations).
- marcoperaza 10y ago
  >Bodies don't always cooperate, if you are going to exercise strenuously in a given day you had better eat some kind of breakfast whether your body feels like it or not. I've done many multi-day hikes and a 24 mile one-day hike. I can confirm that eating breakfast before setting out in the morning is absolutely crucial. Like the old saying goes, an army marches on its stomach. I'm normally not hungry in the morning, so this was a challenge. The few times I did skip breakfast on these hikes, I had to stop half-an-hour in to correct my mistake, as I felt completely drained.
  - jonknee 10y ago
    > I've done many multi-day hikes, and a 24 mile one-day hike. I can confirm that eating breakfast before setting out in the morning is absolutely crucial. Like the old saying go, an army marches on its stomach. Shockingly, people are different. I much prefer a snack on the trail to breakfast before.
eeeeeeeeeeeee 10y ago
It probably depends a lot on when people eat dinner. I sometimes eat dinner at 5-6pm and then I definitely need breakfast. If I eat at 8-9pm, I usually skip breakfast. But I've sort of stopped with the whole "you must have 3 meals per day" at these designated increments and I simply eat when I'm hungry, regardless of the time.
SixSigma 10y ago
Hunger and nutritional need are not the same. Just like drinking when thirsty is drinking too late.

by jonknee 10y ago

thomasahle 10y ago

And again other people may have metabolisms that need to be "kick started" in the morning by breakfast, to keep a stable bloodsugar level during the day.

jonknee 10y ago
No shit: > people have different metabolisms and if you are hungry in the morning you should eat and if you are not you shouldn't
- lmm 10y ago
  People with the metabolism the grandparent describes don't feel hungry in the morning, but nevertheless should eat in the morning.
fu9ar 10y ago
Did you read the article or just head straight into posting this morning?

bgilroy26 10y ago

>The truth is probably people have different metabolisms and if you are hungry in the morning you should eat and if you are not you shouldn't. Bodies don't always cooperate, if you are going to exercise strenuously in a given day you had better eat some kind of breakfast whether your body feels like it or not. Breakfast is always going to be the opportunity to eat when you have more of the day ahead of you. That's true by definition, and it's the principle behind the chestnut about it being the most important meal of the day. There isn't much more to it than that.

forgetsusername 10y ago
>if you are going to exercise strenuously in a given day you had better eat some kind of breakfast whether your body feels like it or not Or what? As someone who has undertaken week long fasts while participating in competitive sports with no discernible performance difference, I'm skeptical. Your body doesn't "run out of fuel" because you haven't eaten for 12 hours. Everyone is different. These rules of thumb, including breakfast being extra special, are silly.
- ethbro 10y ago
  Well, it runs out of certain kinds of fuel. But luckily, evolution gifted us with multiple Plan B's to prevent silly malnourished mammals from keeling over the first time they missed a meal!
collyw 10y ago
Meh, I did 4 hours driving followed by 4 or 5 hours of whitewater kayaking on Saturday, with hardly anything to eat until afterwards. (I have been doing a bit of intermittent fasting the last couple of years, and that seems to help in such situations).
marcoperaza 10y ago
>Bodies don't always cooperate, if you are going to exercise strenuously in a given day you had better eat some kind of breakfast whether your body feels like it or not. I've done many multi-day hikes and a 24 mile one-day hike. I can confirm that eating breakfast before setting out in the morning is absolutely crucial. Like the old saying goes, an army marches on its stomach. I'm normally not hungry in the morning, so this was a challenge. The few times I did skip breakfast on these hikes, I had to stop half-an-hour in to correct my mistake, as I felt completely drained.
- jonknee 10y ago
  > I've done many multi-day hikes, and a 24 mile one-day hike. I can confirm that eating breakfast before setting out in the morning is absolutely crucial. Like the old saying go, an army marches on its stomach. Shockingly, people are different. I much prefer a snack on the trail to breakfast before.

eeeeeeeeeeeee 10y ago

It probably depends a lot on when people eat dinner. I sometimes eat dinner at 5-6pm and then I definitely need breakfast. If I eat at 8-9pm, I usually skip breakfast. But I've sort of stopped with the whole "you must have 3 meals per day" at these designated increments and I simply eat when I'm hungry, regardless of the time.

SixSigma 10y ago

Hunger and nutritional need are not the same. Just like drinking when thirsty is drinking too late.