Youth talk

Porridge, pancakes and pizza reheated from the night before … breakfast used to be a regular occurrence in my life until, in my final years of school, I cut it out, deeming it unnecessary and crediting this to the fact that I spent most of my mornings very sedentary.

In hindsight, this was probably not the smartest of moves. Apparently breakfast can help one do better in school.

Still, could I have been on to something? Or does breakfast truly deserve its stellar spot as the most important meal of the day? 

It’s no news that there are numerous benefits to eating a healthy breakfast. After fasting through the night, breakfast sets one up for the day and keeps one going until lunch.

It has been observed that breakfast improves cognitive function in students, and helps with weight maintenance. But what prompted me to write this column is the recent hype around intermittent fasting, where one forgoes a morning meal.

The benefits attributed to intermittent fasting are that, other than it gives your body a break from digestive processes, it puts your body in a state where it burns fat for fuel and this has been seen to improve memory and longevity. However, the benefits are best reaped when done occasionally as this is not a lifestyle change meant to be sustained over a period of time.

So, do I think of breakfast as the most important meal of the day?

Yes, but I also believe that it all comes down to personal preference, and how healthy your overall lifestyle is otherwise.

As for me, I’ll stick with just my morning latte for a little longer.