Breakfast Skipping Is More Harmful Than You Think, Nutritionist Warns

Breakfast is the one meal when almost everyone thinks they can get away with skipping. For many, mornings are a race. 

Whether you are rushing for an early meeting, waking up late, juggling kids before school or simply avoiding it, these are the common reasons people push breakfast aside. 

And then there are those who wake up early, start their chores, scroll on their phones, get busy with morning tasks and still stay on an empty stomach for 2 to 3 hours before even thinking about having breakfast. 

And by the time they finally decide to eat, they're starving and more likely to grab the unhealthy items. Some believe that skipping breakfast is smart as it cuts calories, but experts say this habit may be silently harming your health.

Speaking on a podcast with Raj Shamani, celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija highlighted how risky breakfast skipping can be. She mentioned what really happens when people don't eat in the morning.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Figuring Out with Raj Shamani (@figuringout.co)

She pointed to a meta-analysis of 45 different observational studies that found that people who don't eat breakfast are 31 per cent more likely to have belly fat, 48 per cent more likely to be overweight, and 44 per cent likely to be obese. "All of this, just by skipping," she said.

Makhija further mentioned that the problem isn't about missing a meal, but it's about missing structure. She said, "When you skip breakfast, you fail to front-load your daily intake." 

That means your body moves through the day with a nutritional deficit, a void that eventually demands to be filled. And it usually gets filled at the worst possible time.

"When the world is sleeping, ordering is easy," Makhija said. "Opening the fridge and finishing whatever is left is easy; that's when you reach out for the wrong foods."

Earlier this year, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that one can increase their chances of getting diabetes by skipping breakfast.

Studies show that people who eat breakfast as the biggest meal of the day lose more weight than people who eat a big meal at night. Basically, if you don't have breakfast, you usually eat a lot more at lunch to make up for your body's hunger and because of this you fall into the vicious cycle of overeating.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.