The saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is true. Fueling up first thing in the morning is the best way to kick your life into high gear each day.

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Yes, there are many reasons you might give for skipping breakfast: it’s too early, I’d rather sleep than eat breakfast, my stomach is not awake yet … and many more. However, it is worth considering these five benefits of eating breakfast before you think about skipping it:

1. It Helps You Lose Weight

Eating a big breakfast packed with good carbohydrates and proteins gives the body a sense of fullness and reduces cravings for sweets and starches. Eating breakfast reduces hunger later in the day, which can cause you to overeat.

Many journals have reported that eating breakfast correlates with long-term weight loss and weight maintenance, as breakfast stimulates the metabolism and signals the body to start burning fat. You are less likely to cheat on your diet because you are spacing your calorie intake throughout the day at regular intervals, therefore, reducing the starve-binge routine.

2. It Gives You More Energy

Food literally provides energy. As most of the nutrients are used up the day and night before, for energy, repair and regeneration, your body wakes up in the morning screaming for nutrients. Starting the day without breakfast is like running a car on an empty fuel tank.

3. It Helps You Perform Better

Eating breakfast provides the nutrients for the brain cells to work properly, enabling focus and concentration at work and in school, therefore, improving performance.

Rampersaud GC reported in the Journal of American Dietetic Association, 2005, May 105 (5), and summarized the results of 47 studies examining the association of breakfast with nutritional adequacy, body weight, academic performance in children and adolescents. Evidence suggests that breakfast consumption improves brain functions related to memory, test grades and attendance.

4. You Meet Your Nutritional Needs
The body needs proper nutrition to function at its best. According to World Health Organization, it needs seven portions of fruit and vegetables, plus protein, good fats and good carbohydrates. Eating a good breakfast will help to load the body with the proper nutrition. Otherwise, it is difficult to try to pack it all into two meals, and you end up lacking in the required nutrients for optimum body functions.

5. It Allows For Family Bonding

A Finnish study showed that children who skip breakfast are more likely to have parents who also skip breakfast. Eating breakfast routinely together as a family enhances family bonding and sets a good example for healthy eating habits in children.