Health hazards of skipping your breakfast
BREAKFAST is considered to be the most important meal of the day, but some people still opt not to have it.
Some of the reasons for skipping breakfast may include a busy schedule, running late, or just not having an appetite so early in the morning. Another key reason used by dieters is that it’s another method of cutting calories.
But health professionals will warn against the implications of skipping breakfast and meals in general, as such a practice can potentially harm you.
According to Dr Alfred Dawes, general, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon, when you skip breakfast you are going without food for long periods and your body automatically goes into starvation mode.
“This is because your last meal would have been several hours ago, and not breaking the fast reduces the body’s metabolic rate, leads to leptin resistance, so you’re burning less and your fat stores increase,” he said.
As a result, Dr Dawes said a person who skips breakfast will have more cravings and usually tends to be hungrier.
“When this occurs you make poorer choices when it comes to food, you may eat more than you normally need, and because the body is in starvation mode, you store a greater portion of these calories,” he explained.
Dr Dawes said ideally, you should be having small meals five times per day and a greater intake of protein at breakfast which keeps you full longer so you don’t overeat at other times of the day.
Apart from increased hunger and a lower metabolic rate, other harmful effects of skipping breakfast include:
1. Weight gain
You now have a slower metabolism and increased hunger which may mean you will be consuming more calories than you need, leading to weight gain.
2. Energy loss
When you skip meals you are losing energy, therefore your mornings may be sluggish and may impact your daily functions.
3. Low blood sugar
Dr Dawes explained that not eating breakfast also increases your risk of hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar. This condition can bring on physical symptoms such as shakiness, dizziness, weakness, headaches, tingling and a rapid heart rate.
Some people often complain of burning sensations in their stomach when they skip meals. Dr Dawes said this is not as a result of missing a meal, but acid reflux which is caused when the acidity in the stomach is not neutralised.
