1. Not eating breakfast is not compatible with a longevity diet.
According to Dan Buettner, breakfast is prioritized in the Blue Zones, the regions with the world’s highest and longest life expectancies, suggesting that breakfast may have a longevity benefit.
“There’s a saying: ‘Breakfast is king, lunch is prince, dinner is pauper,'” Buettner says.
“In the Blue Zones, people eat their biggest meal of the day at breakfast, then eat less as the day progresses, often eating an early dinner and not eating until breakfast the next day.”
He also points out that the Blue Zones breakfast looks different than the typical breakfast in the American diet.
“Most foods sold for breakfast in the U.S. should be avoided, such as Pop-Tarts, sugary cereals, yogurt, and granola,” Buettner says. “Instead, people need to take a page out of the Blue Zones and eat a strong, healthy breakfast.”
Aim to eat these foods in the morning to align your eating style with the world’s healthiest community.
- beans
- vegetables
- rice
- fruit
- miso
- oats
“I often start my day with a bowl of minestrone stew with lots of vegetables and beans,” Buettner says. “I challenge everyone reading this to try eating minestrone stew or rice and beans for breakfast for a week and see how you feel.”
2. Skipping breakfast can negatively impact your mood and sleep quality
If you often skip breakfast and notice that your mood or sleep isn’t as good as you’d like, there may be a correlation.
2023 study The study, which involved more than 700 university students, found that skipping breakfast had a negative impact on sleep quality, with an impact on sleep patterns and an increase in depressive symptoms. The researchers noted that although the effect of skipping breakfast on sleep quality was not significant, there was a noticeable difference when compared to eating breakfast regularly.
Smaller study A study of 66 healthy adults in their 20s found that breakfast frequency was associated with changes in sleep quality, mood, and even eating habits. The study found that people who consistently ate breakfast had “better perceived sleep quality, wake-up mood, and wake-up alertness than those who skipped breakfast.”
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