Is Breakfast Really THAT Important?

Is breakfast really that important?

I’m a short girl. 4 feet and 11 inches to be exact. And at 20 years old, weighing less than 100 pounds, hopefully, you can begin to see why others have really been curious about my eating habits.

I often vent about my smallness to my family and friends, and every time I’m always being called out on one thing, that I never eat breakfast.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

We’ve all heard it, and many of us believe it. But for the rest of us that can’t bear the thought of a morning meal, could care less, or just don’t have the time, this "rule" kind of goes over our heads.

Even when my doctor tried to convince me that skipping breakfast may be the cause of my stature, I rolled my eyes and decided to still trust my gut (literally).

For the past years I have stuck to that mentality, but recently I’ve been pushing myself to extremes, sometimes skipping 2 meals a day. And with being in college, stress levels high, anxiety creeping, and depression looming closer toward the surface, I ask myself what the root cause of my struggles could be.

Of course, eating regularly is always a good thing, but is breakfast specifically the key?

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition had shown there could be a significant correlation between a healthy breakfast and positive mood and energy levels in a person. The body receives nutrients and calories that maintains healthy blood sugar levels and decreases cravings. It’s at times like these we say, "You are what you eat."

Other studies, however, provide results that prove the exact opposite, that breakfast really does not have any significant impact on a person’s health or behavior.

What both studies seem to agree on is that above all else, what influences a person the most in relation to the effectiveness of eating breakfast is their mentality.

If a person feels more energized and pumped after eating breakfast every day, then for them it is essential.But should be no shame in the person that can perform just as fine without it as long as their eating well-balanced meals throughout the day.

For a few days, despite my aversion to eating breakfasts, I tried signing up for a regimen of drinking a morning fruit smoothie every day.

Not your typical eggs and bacon, but it was something I could stomach in the morning, unlike typical breakfast foods.

My results were quite shocking, because the stress, anxiety, and depression starting to weigh me down began to fade away. I had a new-found energy and life source that honestly made me feel more capable through my days than ever before.

Of course, I’m horrible at routines so I’m not so consistent with it.

But I finally proved to myself that, despite my stubborn beliefs, breakfast can change your health and even your moods.

But I also learned is, as studies have proven, and as with many of the trials we go through, it’s your mentality that makes the difference.

I was committed to feeling better, becoming healthier, and becoming happier. I did many things in addition to eating breakfast, like exercising, meditating, and engaging in hobbies I never had the energy to do before.

Breakfast indeed is important, as important as you want it to be.

I still don’t eat it every day, but now I know that I could be a better person if I did. If that’s something that sounds appealing to you, maybe you should do a breakfast experiment of your own, and see what it does for your overall health and happiness.