by Todd Daigneault

Created on: July 26, 2007   Last Updated: November 16, 2010

Breakfast is absolutely crucial to the human body, which in most cases hasn't been fed for at least six to eight hours. Eating breakfast helps to restore blood sugar levels, which give you that boost in the morning after so many hours of non-eating. Many people skip breakfast so that they can have more sleep, instead having just coffee or maybe a doughnut. These people end up with poor-to-medium work performance. Some people, for whatever reason, have naturally high amounts of energy. But most people who skip breakfast don't. Even the high-energy people suffer eventually if they don't eat a proper breakfast, which is crucial to replenishing the human body with proper nutrients and complex carbohydrates.

Breakfast also helps restore glycogen (the natural food energy stored in muscles). Without it, your muscles may not function as well. Marathoners can feel this when they hit the proverbial "wall"-where their stored food energy levels and blood-glucose levels can drop to the point where they either crash and burn.  Or the precipitous drop in energy levels greatly hinder and hamper the remaining miles.  Whether or not you are training for or competing in marathons, breakfast is the most critical meal of the day.  Without it, you are essentially looking at a twelve to fifteen hour fast until lunch.  Imagine how your body feels.  Even with lunch, it's not going to make a huge difference in stabilizing these levels by the time you leave work because it takes time for your biochemistry to restore them.  Ultimately, it brings your body back up to a level, but can never dwarf the significance of breakfast.

Additionally, breakfast can also be a good source of vitamins "A", "B", "C" and "E". Vitamin B is a good energy releaser in the body, allowing for a more productive day at whatever you do, and Vitamin "C" and "E" are adaptogenic, protecting the body from environmental and other stresses. These are all good nutrients to have before you face the probability of stress during your day, especially after your body depletes most of the water-soluble vitamins it ingested the day before. Even vitamin supplements are not enough in comparison to having a good breakfast. They can be good, but there are still unknown compounds in natural foods that are far superior and synergistic. Take vitamins in the morning as an adjunct to a good breakfast, but never as a substitute.

A good breakfast is an absolute necessity that sadly is ignored in our modern age of work, play and rest. Many people don't eat enough good food during the day, never mind at breakfast. So it's absolutely critical to have fruit (in juice or just plain fruit), cereal or eggs. Never load up on bleached white flour pancakes, waffles, or high-sugar cereals. All you'll end up with is a big sugar boost and then an energy crash, making you feel sluggish during that pivotal part of your day, whether you work or play.  Such awful foods can lead to hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, diabetes, and morbid obesity.

A good breakfast is so crucial and is sadly ignored by many in our high-stressed world, as people eat lots of junk food in substitute, ignoring the significance of that critical first meal of the day.

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