Should you be eating breakfast? Part one

It’s hard to know what to do… to eat brekkie or not eat brekkie. Is it better to skip breakfast and wait until lunchtime before eating? Should you go low carb? Wait, what about keto? There’s some much information (and misinformation) out there about how you ‘should’ eat.

When I’m working with clients for preconception care and fertility, there’s a few nutritional not-negotiables, and one of them, is the importance of eating breakfast.

Even if a client tells me they’re not a brekkie person I think “hmmm, there’s some work to do”

The thing is, we were metabolically designed to eat our largest meal of the day in the morning!

The old saying that we should “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” rings true.

From a metabolic, hormonal, energy, mood and health perspective, we were designed to consume breakfast within a couple of hours of waking.

🔥 👉You’re nearly 20% more glucose tolerant in the morning!

This means even if you eat the same meal/ same calories/ same nutrients at night as breakfast, your body will metabolise it differently.

So if you are hungry for brekkie or you begin to experience hunger within a couple of hours of waking, that’s fabulous news!

What does the research say?

Research shows a healthy breakfast sets you up for the day - it can regulate blood sugar levels, reduce sugar/carb cravings, promote hormone balance and support fertility.

A meta analysis showed that breakfast has been associated with overall health, including a low risk for chronic disease (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases). PMID: 32824257

Remember, not all breakfasts are created equal. We want a protein-rich breakfast, with some smart carbs. I encourage my clients to aim for 30 grams of protein at each main meal. This might look like scrambled eggs with avo + toast, a delish smoothie or a home-made granola with your yoghurt of choice.

Here’s some hormone balancing & fertility supportive breakfasts.