“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But is it really? Research is starting to come up with results that might surprise you. Some of it suggests that skipping breakfast simply isn’t an issue, while supporters of intermittent fasting say it can actually offer health benefits; to understand, read more on intermittent fasting.

That’s good news for those of us who grab a cup of coffee in the morning and then head off to get on with the business of the day. But, as with so many things, there are no absolutes. You can be healthy and skip breakfast, but simply missing out on the first meal of the day probably won’t make you healthier on its own. And, of course, what suits one person’s constitution may not suit another’s.

Here are some thoughts that have been put forward in the arguments for and against skipping breakfast.

Skipping Breakfast Remains Controversial

There’s a school of thought that says that eating frequent light meals helps one to lose weight. But the truth is that your daily calorie intake and calorie burn, rather than the frequency of eating, is the most important factor in maintaining healthy weight.

People who skip breakfast usually have a lower daily calorie intake, but a study warns that they may be missing out on some important nutrients. Then, there are the observational studies that show people who don’t eat breakfast as being less healthy overall. So, what’s that about?

Researchers have suggested that people who are health-conscious usually eat breakfast. Many people who skip breakfast aren’t too worried about maintaining healthy habits in general.

For example, a study found that this group is more likely to drink alcohol and smoke. But what if you eat a balanced diet, have healthy habits, and skip breakfast? There’s reason to believe that just missing that first meal won’t hurt you and may even be helpful.

Is the Accepted Attitude Towards Breakfast a Tradition?

It’s interesting to note that the idea of breakfast being an important meal is actually newer than most people think. The fact is that breakfast wasn’t considered particularly important until the 19th century, and in the 20th century, marketers latched onto the idea of a healthy breakfast, using it first to promote breakfast cereal, and later to promote bacon.

That’s right! It wasn’t doctors’ advice, and it wasn’t based on any form of research. Quite simply, businesspeople wanted us to buy their stuff. And today, we’re left with a conundrum. Just how important is breakfast? The simple answer is “Probably not as important as you’ve been led to believe!”

In a world in which all too many people are experiencing health issues that come back to being overnourished, it may be time to take a long, hard look at breakfast myths. And for those of us who are overweight, it will be important to eat less overall, and focus our attention on what we eat rather than when it’s eaten. Meanwhile, what seemed like an inarguable fact, the importance of breakfast, has come under scrutiny, and isn’t standing up to it as well as you might have expected!

Skipping breakfast? It can be a guilt-free habit, but for it to be a healthy one, other lifestyle factors must be taken into account.