Breakfast vs. Dinner
The winner is…consistency
With the rise of intermittent fasting, the necessity of breakfast is once again being questioned. As fewer people are choosing to eat it, the dinners are getting bigger and bigger. The question then arises: which one’s better?
Let’s figure out if skipping meals is for you and whether breakfast or dinner should stay on the table. If you could only have one, which would it be?
What is “breakfast”?
The most important meal of the day, right? What makes a meal more or less important anyway? If the meal’s superiority is measured by how well you absorb the nutrients, then breakfast may indeed be the winner. However, it’s not that simple.
It’s a dilemma for a reason, and it requires individual approaches, as none of us are the same. If you ate breakfast your entire life, then it may as well be mission impossible to change that. On the other hand, if your parents only had time for a massive dinner, then it may be reasonable to continue that tradition.
First of all, it’s critical to understand that people mean different things when they use these terms. On one hand, breakfast can occur at any time during the day, as long as it actually “breaks a fast”. Google defines it as “a meal eaten in the morning, the first of the day”. Colloquially, it’s usually a mixture of both schools of thought.
If we just look at definitions, then breakfast should be considered the winner. I mean you have to eat at some point, right? The biggest accomplishment of breakfast fans is the formation of other healthy habits that often start with some eggs and bacon in the morning. Consistency is crucial, and if you make breakfasts part of your sustainable daily routine, then your life is likely to improve tenfold.
As you’ll find out, I’ve set out an impossible task trying to figure out which one’s better. Nevertheless, I still hope that this article helps you demystify both and come up with something that works for you.
Breakfast like a king?
If you are going to eat breakfast, does it have to be huge? If you’re American, does it also have to be a dessert? Your body should dictate how substantial it’s going to be, but no, your culture should not influence the amount of sugar you consume in the morning.
The data on big breakfast vs. a big dinner does favor the former. Nonetheless, a lot of it is based on epidemiology. The problem with these observational studies is something called the healthy user bias (1). Since most people assume that eating breakfast is beneficial, hence those who do are likely to be more health-conscious in general (2, 3). Additionally, breakfast skippers tend to smoke more, drink more, and eat less nutritious foods overall (4).
Even though a lot of the research on this topic is flawed, there is some hope for breakfast fans. A 2013 randomized control trial did indicate that obese women who lost more weight and improved their blood lipids significantly were eating fewer calories at dinner than at breakfast (5). Case closed, right? Not so fast. Newer research has not come to the same conclusions, and some people simply associate dinner with less healthy foods.
The science is pretty clear that fasting in the morning does not slow down metabolism or cause weight gain. While you are burning more calories right after a big breakfast, your total daily energy expenditure does not change (6). All it comes down to is a calorie deficit, which, in many cases, is up to 400 calories larger in those that skip breakfast (7, 8).
I did mention before that fewer nutrients may be absorbed before bed than in the morning (9). Not only is this fairly speculative, but there are also two sides to this equation. If you want to lose weight, wouldn’t you rather not soak up all the calories? The same logic, by the way, can be applied to a faster metabolism, which can help shed pounds but isn’t the best longevity indicator. Nutrition is complicated, but reverting to what “feels right” may be the most optimal action.
This issue is psychological just as much as it is physical. Eating when you’re hungry seems to be a logical conclusion. That said, if you notice that you crave sweets much more after you skip breakfast, then you may indeed benefit by eating like a king.
TL;DR: breakfasts are not magical and they do not “jump-start” anything.
What about sleep?
A common complaint about intermittent fasting is the lack of quality sleep. The natural reaction is to simply push the eating window closer to bed. For some folks, that works, but for others, it may be smarter to wait it out until the body gets used to the new eating patterns.
The reasons why you could be sleepless when following some kind of intermittent fasting protocol are usually the same as someone’s who’s on a high-fat diet. Fasting, as well as “ketogenic” diets, prioritizes fat metabolism, which results in an increase in a neuropeptide called orexin. It, together with possibly increased adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, is what’s keeping you up at night (10). So, if you like waking up early, maybe it’s not the end of the world.
The reality is that the main benefit of fasting and low-carb diets is improved insulin sensitivity. Turns out, insulin is a salt buffer of sorts, which prevents the excretion of these wakefulness hormones (11, 12). The obvious solution to better your sleep is to increase your sodium intake. The good news is that saltwater will not break your fast and can serve as a great breakfast alternative. In addition, salt has been wrongfully vilified, and your body becomes ridiculously efficient at filtering it if you skip meals.
All in all, sleep is incredibly important and complex. Fasting affects your circadian rhythm, which determines whether you sleep well at night. Getting used to a new eating pattern takes time, but salt can definitely ease the transition.
The winner — consistency
Find what works for you. I know that this may sound like a cop-out answer, but meal timing is extremely individual. Some other tips: don’t eat if you’re not hungry, don’t eat to fall asleep, how you feel is more important than what you read online.
No matter if you choose to prioritize breakfast or dinner, consistency and sustainability should always be at the centerpiece.
P.S. This article was not trying to discriminate against lunch.
