Many of us are tempted to skip breakfast in the rush to start our day. Parents, in particular, may feel challenged getting their kids to have breakfast and make it to school on time.
In this Q&A, Stephanie L. Gold, MD, a gastroenterologist at The Mount Sinai Hospital, provides practical advice on getting a healthy start to your day—eating nutrition-packed foods and making sure to drink water. Dr. Gold, who specializes in inflammatory bowel disease, researches how nutrition affects IBD patients. However, her study of nutrition provides insights for all.
Is breakfast important for our health? Why or why not?
There are a lot of studies that have shown that eating breakfast is very beneficial for your health. It gives you energy to start the day. It helps with concentration. We’ve all seen that it’s very hard to work and focus on what you’re doing if you’re hungry. Also, when we don’t eat breakfast, it can lead to overeating later in the day. You become overly hungry, and you overindulge.
For kids, it’s vitally important that we send them to school with breakfast in their bellies. They can concentrate better and do well in their schoolwork when they aren’t thinking about how hungry they are. I suggest that parents work with their kids to find out what they like to eat. Eating together is also important. If you spend 10 or 15 minutes together to have breakfast, they see that it’s a priority and a special time. It also sets up healthy habits for a lifetime. It’s great if you can prepare something simple the night before, like overnight oats. Or if you’re going to make something more involved, like pancakes, perhaps do the prep work the night before (or on the weekend and freeze the pancakes/waffles) so it’s less stressful for you.
If your kid is a finicky eater or their tastes change, that’s ok. Ask them what they’re interested in or take a walk in the grocery store to explore new options. Try something new—different flavors or tastes—on a weekend when you have more time, and if they like it, you can introduce those during the week. I also know some families are stretched tight, and thankfully, there are also programs in school to make sure kids get breakfast.
What foods are best for breakfast?
It’s very important to have something that is high in fiber and lean protein for breakfast. The reason is to keep you full longer during the day so that you feel satiated, and you get to lunchtime without feeling extra hungry. An example I like is steel cut oatmeal or even regular oatmeal. It’s high in soluble fiber, and you can add a handful of nuts or some nut butter for some healthy fats. I also like to add some fruit for additional fiber and some sweetness. Oatmeal is a great option, as it is easily modified for your personal preferences. You can even change it up by the season. Add some pumpkin spice seasoning or some canned pumpkin in it and it becomes like pumpkin pie oatmeal. The important thing is that people don’t get bored with it.
Some people may not be able to get fresh fruit often, whether due to expense or not being able to get to a grocery store often. We tell our patients that frozen fruit is also a great option. It also simplifies food prep in the morning.
There are a lot of healthy fats to choose from for breakfast. Nuts are a great option. Some people like low-fat cheese sticks that combine protein with some healthy fats. Having an egg in the morning is always nice, as well. It’s all about balance.
Also, having water in the morning is important for hydration. It’s not just about what we eat, but also about what we drink in the morning. Coffee in moderation is fine, but since it can be dehydrating, it’s not a substitute for water.
What foods should most people avoid?
My recommendation is to avoid things that are high in sugar and heavily processed foods, as well. A sugary breakfast cereal, as delicious as it is, may not keep you full very long. Also, you may be surprised that some muffins may have as much sugar as a cupcake, so reading labels is a good idea. Heavily processed foods, such as bacon, sausages, and ham, are fine occasionally but there are healthier options out there. For a weekend breakfast or a special occasion, they are fine but it’s not something that I would recommend eating every day.
How does breakfast affect gut health? And what is gut health?
Gut health is, in part, the prevention of symptoms like diarrhea and constipation, but it’s also maintaining the integrity of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The GI tract has a mucosal barrier that contains a lot of immune cells. It’s the first line of defense against bacteria and other things found in food that we want to avoid getting into our system. It allows for the absorption of nutrients but keeps the bad stuff out. Maintaining the microbiome in our gut, or the healthy bacteria that are good for us, is beneficial to our colon. Fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in soluble and insoluble fibers feed the bacteria in our gut that produce short chain fatty acids. These can be anti-inflammatory, and for our IBD patients, it’s particularly important. However, we all benefit from having a healthy, diverse microbiome.
What is your opinion on intermittent fasting and skipping breakfast?
There’s been a lot of interest in intermittent fasting recently. While this can be beneficial for some, you should ask your physician if this is an appropriate strategy for you. There is some interesting data on intermittent fasting, but successful weight management seems to be dependent on the individual. Intermittent fasting doesn’t just mean skipping breakfast, it’s limiting your eating to eight hours. In animal models, eating earlier (prioritizing breakfast) but having a smaller or lighter dinner may lead to better blood sugar control. However, we need more research to understand the mechanisms that come into play when we shift meals during the day both in animal models and in humans.