Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Yeah, yeah we’ve all heard that before.

What we aren’t told is exactly why it’s so important.

One of the most common reasons given is that it helps you lose weight.

While that is a benefit of eating breakfast in the morning (provided your breakfast is something healthy), it’s not the only or even the most important health benefit.

Here’s Oats Over Night:

With all the overwhelming evidence showing the importance of consuming a healthy and hearty breakfast, it is crazy that so many people are still skipping the meal. According to the market research company, NPD group, approximately 18% of males and 13% of females between the ages of 35 and 54 skip breakfast.

Knowledge is power, so without further ado, here are the five unexpected health benefits of eating breakfast.

1. Breakfast decreases appetite

Studies have shown that having breakfast first thing in the day decreases cravings. A lot of people skip breakfast to cut down on calories, but what they’re actually doing is setting themselves up to consume more calories throughout the day.

2. You eat less

Eating breakfast in the morning means that you’ll eat less throughout the day. A decrease in appetite means a decrease in food intake.

3. You will improve your memory

Carbohydrates are essential for healthy brain functioning.

A high-quality breakfast at the start of your day will improve your memory and concentration levels.

Studies done on school children showed that kids who ate breakfast tended to have improved cognitive skills and perform better at school.

4. Eating breakfast helps prevent type 2 diabetes

There is significant research showing that you could prevent diabetes by eating a healthy breakfast.

TIME reports that Judy Caplan, a registered dietitian nutritionist for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics had the following to say about choosing what you eat in the morning:

“If you eat something that is whole grain and has some fat and protein to it, your blood sugar is going to rise slowly and go down slowly. If you eat something refined, like an overly sweet cinnamon roll, that’s the worst thing you can eat.”

“You get an insulin [spike], and [then] your blood sugar drops too low so you get hungry again. That’s why people get into a cycle of overeating junk.”

That insulin spike builds up a resistance to insulin that can lead to diabetes.

5. You will weigh less

This one you already know.

People who eat breakfast have a reduced risk of obesity and had healthier BMIs.

Here’s the problem with breakfast though: I don’t know about you, but at 05:30 am when I wake up I can barely consolidate my existence, let alone contemplate breakfast.

That’s why I was super amped to discover the smoothie range by Sir Fruit.

I was especially amped when I saw this:

Sir Fruit smoothies are the perfect on-the-go healthy breakfast alternative, crammed with all the good stuff necessary to give you the boost you need to start your day.

There are four excellent flavours to choose from, but my personal favourite is the Berries, Yoghurt, Honey and Oats Smoothie, complete with a swirl of yoghurt.

It’s everything you need to claim all of the health benefits listed above without the fuss of having to actually cook or make something in the morning.

Breakfast sorted.

[sources:oats&time]