The Importance And Non Importance Of Breakfast

4 Reasons Why Breakfast Is Not Important

39 Comments | Diet

Most fitness pros agree about the importance of breakfast for good health. They say that eating breakfast helps you lose weight, increases energy, and keeps your metabolism revving.

But is that right? Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Or is it all just a big fat lie?

In my opinion, the ONLY reason why breakfast is important is because:

Breakfast is the only time of the day that you can eat pancakes, waffles, omelets, bacon, etc…

That’s it.

That’s the only reason why breakfast is important. Seriously. I’m not joking.

Some of the most awesomest foods on this planet are only served during breakfast time. I mean come on, breakfast is the only time we can have foods like eggs Benedict, French toast, and cinnamon rolls.

Also, let’s not forget about all the delicious cereals that came out because of breakfast. I don’t know what I would do with myself if Apple Jacks, Frosted Flakes, or Cookie Crisp didn’t exist.

importance of breakfast

This is the only reason I eat breakfast

The non-importance of breakfast

So unless you’re my evil twin, I bet you weren’t expecting that. Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s the only reason why breakfast is important.

So here’s 4 reasons why breakfast isn’t important:

1) Skipping breakfast will NOT make you fat

Despite everything Quaker Oats and General Mills have told you, skipping breakfast will not wreck havoc on your body. I mean, do you honestly expect these companies to say that breakfast isn’t awesome when the majority of their revenue comes from breakfast products.

The reason most breakfast skippers are overweight is because they typically have more sporadic eating patterns and typically care less about their health.

Breakfast skippers also tend to be overweight individuals who try to skip breakfast as a means to accelerate weight loss. They mindlessly go on extremely low calorie diets, but usually end up failing and rebounding back to their original weight.

Skipping breakfast does not cause weight gain. All the research out there simply states that there is a correlation between skipping breakfast and higher body weights, but skipping breakfast absolutely does not cause weight gain.

So go ahead, skip breakfast, but make sure you watch your calories.

It doesn’t matter when you eat. The only thing that matters is how much you eat. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.

2) Breakfast is just extra calories

To me, breakfast is just extra calories. It’s simply just another opportunity to put food in your mouth.

Take a look at this study published in the Nurtition Journal. In it, researchers basically concluded that the bigger your breakfast, the bigger your overall calorie count will be. The research even suggested people to eat a smaller breakfast as a means to lower calories.

I’m guessing Kellogs isn’t going to be referencing this study.

3) Breakfast will not give you energy

I don’t know about you, but those “energy boosting” breakfasts that nutritionists always recommended never really did anything for me. Those cereals and protein shakes that promise to give you energy never quite deliver. When I eat something in the morning, I just feel like something is sitting in my stomach, but I never feel that promised burst of energy.

Most people claim that they need an energy boost in the morning, especially before a workout. But why don’t you just try working out fasted? As crazy as it may sound, you actually get more energy from working out fasted, and most of that energy will come from your fat stores. But if you really need energy, then try drinking a few cups of coffee or tea before your workout.

Just give it a shot. Don’t tell me working out fasted sucks unless you’ve tried it a few times.  If you need more reassurance on working out fasted, check out Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon.

4) There’s nothing special about breakfast. It’s a scam.

Don’t believe the hype.

Seriously guys, breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. In fact, there is no “most important” meal.

There will always be new studies that show a correlation between breakfast skipping and higher body weights and you can bet your ass that companies like General Mills will reference the hell out of them.

In my opinion, breakfast is a big fat scam. As long as breakfast products remain a multi-billion dollar industry, then you will always find companies trying to make breakfast look like the good guy.

Last Words

I’ll say it again: the only reason why breakfast is important is because that’s the only time delicious breakfast foods are served.

All those research papers that you read about on the importance of breakfast are just highly misinterpreted pieces that don’t actually prove that skipping breakfast is bad for you.

So hopefully I’ve at least made you guys give breakfast a second thought. I just don’t want you to eat breakfast thinking you’re getting some sort of special health benefit.

You should only eat breakfast if:

– You enjoy it


– Cheesecake flavored Frosted Flakes just came out

Sheila - December 31, 2015

No one may see this..since the article is a bit old but I just wanted to say that I like that research is looking into this “Eating breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. I have never liked waking up and eating first thing in the morning. It has always made me feel yucky inside. I felt conflicted by the old research and my body just not wanting to eat right away. But in recent month I have seen more information out there suggest what my body was telling me all the time. You DON’T have to eat first thing in the morning. (yes…breakfast foods can be eaten at anytime and I do enjoy pancakes for dinner). I think some people who read this article got hung up on the “Breakfast” foods more than the timing of breakfast. Like most people will tell you…it is how much you put in vs what you put out. Any of us can blindly eat. But Adding a bigger eating window just helps up stuff more food in our faces. My eating window is from 12-6 M-F and 12-8 on the weekends. It is so much easier to eat “normal and healthy” in that window of time and just not eat outside of it. All you are doing is extending you “sleep fast” a bit.

    Keith - December 31, 2015

    “Like most people will tell you…it is how much you put in vs what you put out. ”

    No no people don’t tell me that haha. Most people still refuse to believe that.

Fred - April 15, 2016

I loved this site and how you told what the non importance about breakfast was. Thank You.

jedics - May 26, 2016

another benefit to not eating in the morning is a reduction in hunger ironically, if I have breakfast I am more hungry by lunch time than if I skip it. Eating gets the digestive system going for the rest of the day so it kind of makes sense.

Also breakfast foods are nearly always carbs and therefore high in calories, really it is the easiest and least inconvenient way to loose some weight so long as you dont let it make you make bad eating choices when you do have your first meal of the day.

Lucia Adams - December 28, 2016

Perhaps, what you should realize, is that the body is optimized during sleep. Not even coffee is necessary if you sleep properly. A good night’s sleep comes when there are no toxins in the body, so all the systems only work towards improving and regenerating, rather than detoxification. Waking up refreshed is what happens if you eat proper Whole Foods. We eat far too much, not even lunch is necessary, we are caught in a vicious cycle of unproven science.

Joe - January 30, 2017

I was told for years to eat breakfast, not by my family but from my doctors..
as ethnic Europeans, we do not eat breakfast. we have been graced and fortunate to have no obesity. I also remind my Drs. that my Father lived to 98 and my mother live to 90. many relatives have also lived a long healthy life without breakfast. 🙂 thanks

    Keith - January 30, 2017

    Doctors don’t always have the right training when it comes to diet related stuff.


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