The Most Important Meal of the Day?
Breakfast science is confusing and conflicting. Here’s what you need to know to decide whether and how to incorporate it into your day.
In the 60s, the most famous nutritionist of the era, Adelle Davis, advised Americans to:
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.
Sixty years down the line, our collective understanding hasn’t changed much. Breakfast is still referred to as “the most important meal of the day.” Our love for breakfast foods is growing, too. 24/7 breakfast menus have a massive appeal(which means huge potential profit for restaurants who introduce them). Brunch culture is growing. Breakfast for dinner is as popular as ever.
In short, we like breakfast and we collectively acknowledge its health benefits. But we’re not actually eating more of it. Up to 25% of Americans skip breakfast. With changing diet patterns, fewer people actually eat “the most important meal of the day.”
But is it really? Here’s what we know about the myth of the most important meal of the day — and whether eating or skipping it will have any health consequences:
