Author Topic: Is Breakfast for Everyone?  (Read 14748 times)

arebelspy

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Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« on: February 29, 2012, 07:48:52 AM »
(MODERATOR NOTE: SPLIT OFF FROM THIS TOPIC: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/mustachian-breakfast-ideas/ )

I generally don't eat breakfast.  (I know, I know.)

The wife has a bowl of generic brand cereal every morning.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2012, 11:27:57 AM by arebelspy »
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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2012, 10:35:49 AM »
I generally don't eat breakfast.  (I know, I know.)

The wife has a bowl of generic brand cereal every morning.
I don't eat breakfast either.

Every once in a while I might make egg muffins to eat in the car.  Its eggsactly what it sounds like, a mini omlette cooked in a muffin tin.

Jarvis

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #2 on: February 29, 2012, 10:40:48 AM »
I generally don't eat breakfast.  (I know, I know.)

The wife has a bowl of generic brand cereal every morning.
I don't eat breakfast either.

Every once in a while I might make egg muffins to eat in the car.  Its eggsactly what it sounds like, a mini omlette cooked in a muffin tin.

For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!

adam

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #3 on: February 29, 2012, 10:43:25 AM »
I generally don't eat breakfast.  (I know, I know.)

The wife has a bowl of generic brand cereal every morning.
I don't eat breakfast either.

Every once in a while I might make egg muffins to eat in the car.  Its eggsactly what it sounds like, a mini omlette cooked in a muffin tin.

For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!
Not really.  At least not for me.  I track it all pretty closely (blood sugars and such).

Jarvis

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #4 on: February 29, 2012, 11:11:57 AM »
I generally don't eat breakfast.  (I know, I know.)

The wife has a bowl of generic brand cereal every morning.
I don't eat breakfast either.

Every once in a while I might make egg muffins to eat in the car.  Its eggsactly what it sounds like, a mini omlette cooked in a muffin tin.

For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!
Not really.  At least not for me.  I track it all pretty closely (blood sugars and such).

Science disagrees with you!  Here are some sources:

   -A Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital study of children in Philadelphia and Baltimore schools discovered that students who usually ate school breakfast had improved math grades, reduced hyperactivity, decreased absence and tardy rates, and improved psycho-social behaviors compared with children who rarely ate school breakfast. (Pediatrics, January, 1998; Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, February, 1998)

   -Here is a cool study done by a student in Texas: http://amcbt.indstate.edu/volume_30/v30-4p15-19.pdf
 
  -"Eating breakfast of any kind prevent(s) many of the adverse effects of fasting," such as irritability and fatigue, according to Bonnie Spring, Ph.D. , University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School.

  Yes, most studies about breakfast are performed for students.  However, the results would certainly carry over to adult performance as well.  Eating breakfast is such a simple way to improve your life.  The only reason I could think of for not eating it is morning laziness - very un-Mustachian.

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #5 on: February 29, 2012, 04:55:28 PM »
I generally don't eat breakfast.  (I know, I know.)

The wife has a bowl of generic brand cereal every morning.
I don't eat breakfast either.

Every once in a while I might make egg muffins to eat in the car.  Its eggsactly what it sounds like, a mini omlette cooked in a muffin tin.

For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!
Not really.  At least not for me.  I track it all pretty closely (blood sugars and such).

Science disagrees with you!  Here are some sources:

   -A Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital study of children in Philadelphia and Baltimore schools discovered that students who usually ate school breakfast had improved math grades, reduced hyperactivity, decreased absence and tardy rates, and improved psycho-social behaviors compared with children who rarely ate school breakfast. (Pediatrics, January, 1998; Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, February, 1998)

   -Here is a cool study done by a student in Texas: http://amcbt.indstate.edu/volume_30/v30-4p15-19.pdf
 
  -"Eating breakfast of any kind prevent(s) many of the adverse effects of fasting," such as irritability and fatigue, according to Bonnie Spring, Ph.D. , University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School.

  Yes, most studies about breakfast are performed for students.  However, the results would certainly carry over to adult performance as well.  Eating breakfast is such a simple way to improve your life.  The only reason I could think of for not eating it is morning laziness - very un-Mustachian.

That's funny, because I feel like I have more energy, and my lipid profile improved, since I started the fast-5 diet. (Fast 19 hours, eat for 5 hours. Repeat daily.)

My life insurance rates dropped in half; I got a health review after I saw how improved my lipids were.

I've also not missed one day of work (unplanned!) in the 6 months I've been on it.

YMMV

arebelspy

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #6 on: February 29, 2012, 04:57:49 PM »
For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!

Mmm.. maybe.

Should I force myself to eat when I'm not hungry?
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Jarvis

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #7 on: February 29, 2012, 05:32:24 PM »
19 hour fasting diet - Awesome that it gave you good results, but a healthy assortment of foods at a calorie deficit would accomplish the same thing without the 19 hour fast. 

Eating when you're not hungry - Breakfast doesn't need to be a feast.  However, nobody wakes up full after a full night of sleep. 

Who are the healthiest people in the world?  Probably kickass athletes, right?  Athletes eat breakfast, and it's for a reason. 

Just like solid research should drive your financial decisions, you should base your nutritional habits on research too. 

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #8 on: February 29, 2012, 08:17:59 PM »
I'm horrible at cooking and I hate to clean up the mess afterwards, which is why I'll probably never try cooking oatmeal lol. I usually have three fried eggs with some toast and a can of coke - or, if I'm feeling adventurous, a three-egg omelet.

Who are the healthiest people in the world?  Probably kickass athletes, right?  Athletes eat breakfast, and it's for a reason.
That's a nice fallacy you got there... First of all, please provide three citations from different peer-reviewed sources to back up your claim that "kickass athletes" are "the healthiest people in the world." Secondly, that's a false analogy: just because one group is (allegedly) super-healthy and does X, that doesn't mean everyone who does X will be super-healthy. It's the same warped argument used by manufacturers of Moleskin notebooks: "The same notebooks were used by Einstein, Da Vinci and other famous people! Huzzah!! Buy buy buy!!!" Okay, I might be exaggerating a little, but that's the gist. I'm sure quite a few "kickass athletes" like watching ESPN, wearing Nike shoes, etc... Do you see where I'm going with this? There are always exceptions to every rule, especially when it comes to health. Take the so-called "French paradox," for example: the French drink a lot of wine and eat fatty foods, yet their life expectancy doesn't suffer. Some people don't need more than four hours of sleep, and some people don't need breakfast to live healthy and productive lives. Just because somebody's lifestyle doesn't fit into your worldview, doesn't make them wrong. :)

Jarvis

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #9 on: February 29, 2012, 08:42:59 PM »
Calling athletes healthy is a fallacy?   I disagree completely.  They were simply an example of breakfast eaters.  Here's an investing example: Warren Buffet doesn't park his money in CD's - he seeks his best returns in stocks.  Therefore, people looking to be successful investors, like Warren Buffet, should probably be looking for good value stocks. 

The moleskin analogy is ridiculous.  Obviously it doesn't matter what sort of notebook Einstein wrote in; it's the content that matters.  It also doesn't matter whether athletes wear red underwear or blue underwear.  However, it certainly does matter what athletes consume, and when they consume it. 

Here's a more rigorous study, since I didn't take much time in the ones I looked up: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15883552

Please don't take offense when I say people should eat breakfast.  It's out of a genuine desire to help.  If you are here to suggest that eating breakfast is worse than not eating breakfast, please present your evidence.


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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #10 on: February 29, 2012, 08:55:00 PM »
Quote
Calling athletes healthy is a fallacy?   I disagree completely.  They were simply an example of breakfast eaters.

Read my post again. Making a false analogy is a fallacy. Athlete are healthy (and not all of them, mind you - a typical professional boxer/football/rugby player, for example, is a wreck by the end of his career) because they stay in great shape, take a number of supplements, etc. Merely saying "Hey, look! 'Kickass athletes' are super-healthy and they eat breakfast, which means breakfast is the ultimate secret!" is a fallacy. Or, in other words, if all A is B, and some B is C, that doesn't mean that all C is A.

Quote
Here's an investing example: Warren Buffet doesn't park his money in CD's - he seeks his best returns in stocks.  Therefore, people looking to be successful investors, like Warren Buffet, should probably be looking for good value stocks. 
Your credibility just took a hit there: It's not "Buffet" as in all-you-can-eat buffet, it's Buffett - pronounced "buff it." And yes, Buffett does have a lot of money in bonds and CDs at any given point, because keeping it in cash while he's looking for the next giant purchase would be the worst option. Please, please, please do your research. :^|

Quote
However, it certainly does matter what athletes consume, and when they consume it. 
Okay, we're making progress now. Does it matter if one's breakfast consist of coke and potato chips, or should the breakfast consist of something healthier? If so, what are those super-healthy foods that your "kickass athletes" consume? Research, it's all about research.

Quote
Here's a more rigorous study, since I didn't take much time in the ones I looked up: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15883552
It says the results are for "children and adolescents." Yes, kids need breakfast - but those results don't necessarily translate to all adults.

Quote
Please don't take offense when I say people should eat breakfast.  It's out of a genuine desire to help.  If you are here to suggest that eating breakfast is worse than not eating breakfast, please present your evidence.
I said what I said. I did not say what I did not say. Please re-read my post again. Still waiting for those three peer-reviewed articles, by the way - and for adults, not adolescents. ;)

onehappypanda

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #11 on: February 29, 2012, 09:12:18 PM »
I generally don't eat breakfast.  (I know, I know.)

The wife has a bowl of generic brand cereal every morning.
I don't eat breakfast either.

Every once in a while I might make egg muffins to eat in the car.  Its eggsactly what it sounds like, a mini omlette cooked in a muffin tin.

For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!
Not really.  At least not for me.  I track it all pretty closely (blood sugars and such).

Science disagrees with you!  Here are some sources:

   -A Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital study of children in Philadelphia and Baltimore schools discovered that students who usually ate school breakfast had improved math grades, reduced hyperactivity, decreased absence and tardy rates, and improved psycho-social behaviors compared with children who rarely ate school breakfast. (Pediatrics, January, 1998; Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, February, 1998)

   -Here is a cool study done by a student in Texas: http://amcbt.indstate.edu/volume_30/v30-4p15-19.pdf
 
  -"Eating breakfast of any kind prevent(s) many of the adverse effects of fasting," such as irritability and fatigue, according to Bonnie Spring, Ph.D. , University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School.

  Yes, most studies about breakfast are performed for students.  However, the results would certainly carry over to adult performance as well.  Eating breakfast is such a simple way to improve your life.  The only reason I could think of for not eating it is morning laziness - very un-Mustachian.

Sorry Jarvis, anytime you treat "Science" like a person with one unified opinion, you are committing a grave scientific sin.

Some studies suggest that people who eat breakfast early in the day also tend to report more energy. What it DOESN'T say is that breakfast CAUSES more energy. That's taking a correlation and treating it like a cause, another grave scientific sin. Many things can explain a relationship between factor A and factor B, so the appearance of a relationship doesn't = causation. 

Case in point: The first study you quote doesn't control for covariates like WHAT the kids ate (or didn't), what their diet is the rest of the day, as well as the socioeconomic status of their families. A kid from a poor family might not get breakfast before school. That kid might also have behavioral issues, but it's likely that those behavioral issues are NOT caused by the lack of breakfast, but by some other factor linked to poverty. They can attempt to statistically control for some covariates, but often that's not enough to conclusively say breakfast causes a difference in behavior. Variables may be related, but the causal relationship can't be determined by that study alone unless you have a randomized sample, which they don't. It's one of the inherent flaws in large epidemiological studies.

For every study saying that breakfast is necessary and good for you (not counting the ones that are funded by Kellogg or other breakfast food companies as those are all bullshit), there's probably another study saying it doesn't make a difference one way or the other. Some studies have even suggested that sustained fasting can be good for you.

A few citations:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17909674
http://www.e-spenjournal.org/article/S1751-4991%2810%2900054-5/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9040548

And while I hate to link to a slightly hokey muscle blog, this actually has some pretty solid but still readable info: http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

Also, not to be nitpicky, but it's false to say that athletes are the healthiest people around. They're certainly very fit, but often elite athlete status means taking your body to a level of activity that is actually fairly unhealthy for it. Check out the link between marathon running and heart problems (not to even mention joint problems). Activity is good, but it has diminishing returns over time. And unless you're hanging out with athletes all day, you also can't really say they all eat breakfast. There's actually a fairly robust movement within the fitness world of people training fasted, because they believe it leads to better performance. Most athletes are focused on better performance, rather than better health. Health may be a byproduct of performance gains, but not always.

Conclusion: I don't have a problem with breakfast, and I generally eat it myself as my dinners tend to be fairly small. But some people, particularly those who eat later in the day, just aren't hungry in the morning. There is NO conclusive evidence that breakfast has a causal link to physiological, behavioral, or cognitive benefits, and thus no reason to believe that early breakfast is necessary for everyone. All in all, breakfast is a personal choice- awesome for some folks, not so awesome for others.  I know you mean well, but how about just letting people make their own meal timing choices?

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #12 on: February 29, 2012, 09:15:29 PM »
Eating breakfast is good for you.  If you disagree, bring something constructive.  Otherwise, stop putting words in my mouth! 

Boxers and rugby players are wrecks because they take extreme physical punishment - that has nothing to do with their nutrition.  What a red herring!

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #13 on: February 29, 2012, 09:17:20 PM »
Thanks for the reasonable response Mr. Panda - I'll read through that stuff.

onehappypanda

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #14 on: February 29, 2012, 09:25:42 PM »
Thanks for the reasonable response Mr. Panda - I'll read through that stuff.

*Ms. Panda, for what it's worth ;)

I, like you, was once a hardcore "everyone must eat breakfast early in the day" health nutter. I'm still a health nutter, now I'm just one who sees both sides of the early/late breakfast argument. I've come to the conclusion that there are very few hard-and-fast rules of food consumption, other than the obvious things like "don't eat twinkies like they're a food group". Beyond that, it depends on a lot of different lifestyle and situational factors that nutrition science and epidemiology have yet to address.

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #15 on: February 29, 2012, 09:28:50 PM »
Thanks *Ms. Panda!  This is the first I've read of turning it into a early/late breakfast discussion.  I had earlier read it as breakfast vs. no breakfast.  Sure, breakfast can qualify as ~90mins after you wake up.

Regardless, the initial discussion was about what people were eating for breakfast, not whether or not they were eating breakfast at all.  I already mentioned what I eat breakfast, so I'll leave it at that.  :)

arebelspy

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #16 on: February 29, 2012, 09:29:47 PM »
In general, I do think breakfast is the healthier choice, and I would encourage my kids to eat breakfast (and do indeed encourage my students).  It definitely has more benefits for kids.

For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!

Mmm.. maybe.

Should I force myself to eat when I'm not hungry?

I'm still curious what you think about this question.
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onehappypanda

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #17 on: February 29, 2012, 09:40:26 PM »
Thanks *Ms. Panda!  This is the first I've read of turning it into a early/late breakfast discussion.  I had earlier read it as breakfast vs. no breakfast.  Sure, breakfast can qualify as ~90mins after you wake up.

Regardless, the initial discussion was about what people were eating for breakfast, not whether or not they were eating breakfast at all.  I already mentioned what I eat breakfast, so I'll leave it at that.  :)

Well, breakfast just means "breaking the fast". So technically breakfast can be any time of day- it's just the first time you eat after waking up, since sleeping is the fasted period. That's a bit of a nitpicky distinction, but people don't so much skip breakfast as eat it later in the day.

But I agree, we've hijacked the "what's for breakfast" page and turned it into a Great Breakfast Debate. Back to the regularly scheduled breakfast post.
« Last Edit: February 29, 2012, 09:42:50 PM by onehappypanda »

Jarvis

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #18 on: March 01, 2012, 07:39:38 AM »
Quote
Quote
Mmm.. maybe.

Should I force myself to eat when I'm not hungry?

I'm still curious what you think about this question.

I personally don't wake up hungry, but I'm not full either.  A small breakfast goes down just fine.

It brings up the idea of meal frequency.  I'm a proponent of more numerous, smaller meals, rather than fewer, but larger meals.  It evens out blood sugar spikes and dips through the day.  For some, this is a way to control their type 2 diabetes through diet alone.  For others, this is a way to achieve peak athletic performance or body composition.

arebelspy

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #19 on: March 01, 2012, 08:01:32 AM »
That didn't really answer my question.
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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #20 on: March 01, 2012, 08:28:18 AM »
That didn't really answer my question.

Yes, you should eat a small breakfast, even if you aren't "hungry."

arebelspy

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #21 on: March 01, 2012, 08:31:17 AM »
That didn't really answer my question.

Yes, you should eat a small breakfast, even if you aren't "hungry."

Thank you.
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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #22 on: March 01, 2012, 08:38:16 AM »
This is why I abstained from this argument.  You can find scientific papers that will support pretty much any view you wish, but I don't think its a good use of my time right now.

arebelspy

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #23 on: March 01, 2012, 08:41:27 AM »
This is why I abstained from this argument.  You can find scientific papers that will support pretty much any view you wish, but I don't think its a good use of my time right now.

Yeah.  Like I posted earlier, I know breakfast is the better choice.  I just didn't know if I'm supposed to eat it even when not hungry.  Guess so.
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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #24 on: March 01, 2012, 08:44:43 AM »
I use to wake up every morning feeling nauseous and unable to eat. Later I found out it was because my blood sugar levels got messed up while I slept and eating was the best thing I could do about it. I changed what I eat before I go to bed instead and now I wake up feeling fine. I don't think I could make it until 9am without breakfast, but I get up at 5 and work out before then so  perhaps that not normal.

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #25 on: March 01, 2012, 08:53:04 AM »
I routinely won't eat till 12-1pm.  I wait until I'm hungry and more importantly, when my blood sugar is in a range where it makes sense to eat.  I'm just naturally higher BG in the AM so it doesn't make sense for me to put any more fuel in my body when I'm already in excess.

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #26 on: March 01, 2012, 09:05:23 AM »
Are you guys actually ENJOYING this big scientific argument you're having over breakfast?

Because if you are, please carry on. However, I'm starting to get an idea of which people I might leave off the invitation list of a brunch party, if I wanted to get any time to enjoy the food..

;-)

« Last Edit: March 01, 2012, 09:50:16 AM by MMM »

Jarvis

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #27 on: March 01, 2012, 09:17:21 AM »
Are you guys actually ENJOYING this big scientific argument you're having over breakfast?

Because if you are, please carry on. However, I'm starting to get and idea of which people I might leave off the invitation list of a brunch party, if I wanted to get any time to enjoy the food..

;-)

Hah - I can't say I enjoyed it, nor can I claim to have argued very well on behalf of science. 

What are your thoughts on eating breakfast vs. not eating breakfast?

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #28 on: March 01, 2012, 09:56:52 AM »
I guess I'd agree with you in saying that I think it's more healthy to eat breakfast, on average, than to skip it. Even if you're not hungry.

But I'd definitely grant an exception to people who have read special research and done scientific testing on themselves and whatnot. These people know more than me.

Also, if you aren't hungry for breakfast, but then you get hungry later on and eat only healthy foods for the rest of the day, that seems fine to me too.

My advice is mostly catered to the typical unhealthy office person who skips breakfast, then ends up hungry at work at 10am and has something awful like a candy bar or cola or a grocery store muffin. Much better to have an unprocessed, high-protein, high-fat snack earlier in the day to provide a stable base for your blood sugar. Nuts are ideal in this sense. Protein powder is also great if you need more protein.

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #29 on: March 01, 2012, 10:46:31 AM »
I'm *somewhat* enjoying watching this debate, but it has completely hijacked this thread, which I was enjoying as well. This would be a great chance for one of those fancy moderators to move the discussion to its own thread...

EDIT: Thanks, fancy moderator :)
« Last Edit: March 01, 2012, 01:19:27 PM by AJ »

arebelspy

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #30 on: March 01, 2012, 11:33:09 AM »
I'm *somewhat* enjoying watching this debate, but it has completely hijacked this thread, which I was enjoying as well. This would be a great chance for one of those fancy moderators to move the discussion to its own thread...

Good idea.

Thread for Mustachian Breakfast Ideas: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/mustachian-breakfast-ideas/
Thread for discussing having breakfast or not: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/re-mustachian-breakfast-ideas/
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onehappypanda

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #31 on: March 01, 2012, 11:59:58 AM »
In general, I do think breakfast is the healthier choice, and I would encourage my kids to eat breakfast (and do indeed encourage my students).  It definitely has more benefits for kids.

For shame!  If you care about your health, breakfast is a must!

Mmm.. maybe.

Should I force myself to eat when I'm not hungry?

I'm still curious what you think about this question.

For what it's worth, I'll dissent and say if you're really not hungry, don't eat breakfast. It's not necessary, your body is probably still processing food from the night before. Once it's done with that, you'll get hungry and you can eat just like normal. Your body is generally pretty good at telling you when you need food if you learn to listen to it (granted, many people don't listen to their bodies at all).

"Healthy" is determined by your habits, how you eat day after day, month after month. Eating breakfast late in the day might just work better for some people, and if the rest of their habits are perfectly healthy then I don't think it's necessary for them to eat in the morning when they don't feel like it. I refuse to argue over the timing of one meal, or the nutritional breakdown of one food, because it really doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things.

If you have a lot of stomach upset in the morning and that's why you don't eat breakfast, don't eat a big meal too close to bedtime. That's usually a sign that you have too much to digest while you're sleeping, which is bad for sleep cycles and your stomach.

masont

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #32 on: March 01, 2012, 12:10:51 PM »
My general rule:

If I am hungry, I eat
If I am not hungry, I do not eat

The only exception is when I'm being un-badass and eating yummy food solely because it tastes good or when I'm being badass and riding my bike hard, I'll fuel even if my body isn't saying it's hungry.

AJ

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #33 on: March 01, 2012, 01:29:53 PM »
My general rule:

If I am hungry, I eat
If I am not hungry, I do not eat

I usually feel my blood sugar dipping before I actually start to feel "hunger" in my stomach. Blood sugar issues run in my family, so that could be why. If I wait until I feel actual hunger, I'm very cranky and have a hard time choosing healthy options.

I also *have* to eat a meal just before bed or I will wake up famished. I know you're not supposed to do that, but I have no self-control when I wake up in the middle of the night hungry. Better to eat a second dinner at 9 than a box of cookies at midnight, imho. Consequently, I am not yet hungry by normal breakfast time. I eat my breakfast at "morning snack" time, around 9 or 10 am. I also find that if I have my breakfast *after* my morning coffee, I crave healthier foods, whereas if I eat breakfast first thing in the morning, I tend to crave sugary carbs all the way up to mid-afternoon. I expect that is not true for most people, but I just try to do the best to optimize my own body. For me, that means coffee for breakfast, and breakfast for morning snack.

VanishingPoint

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #34 on: March 01, 2012, 06:10:07 PM »
I'm up at 5:30am each morning to walk the dog and get ready for work. I clock in at 7:00am at my desk. I drink coffee. 2 or 3 small mugs worth. No breakfast for me until around 9:00am when my hunger kicks in. It's been like this for me for the last 7 or 8 years.

On weekends I skip food altogether until lunch. Again I find the coffee (always black) kills my appetite for food.

shedinator

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Re: Re: Mustachian Breakfast Ideas
« Reply #35 on: March 01, 2012, 08:54:41 PM »
Are you guys actually ENJOYING this big scientific argument you're having over breakfast?

Because if you are, please carry on. However, I'm starting to get an idea of which people I might leave off the invitation list of a brunch party, if I wanted to get any time to enjoy the food..

;-)

Thank you, MMM, for raising the level of the discussion. I think we can all agree that regardless of your stance on breakfast, Brunch is something that nobody should pass up!

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #36 on: March 01, 2012, 08:56:55 PM »

I also *have* to eat a meal just before bed or I will wake up famished. I know you're not supposed to do that

This is totally unscientific, but it is interesting to note that one of the techniques professional sumo wrestlers use to deliberately gain massive amounts of weight is to skip breakfast, in order to build up an appetite during the day, and then have a huge meal immediately before a mid-day nap and before going to sleep for the night.

lazydragon

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #37 on: March 02, 2012, 11:07:35 AM »
I'm up at 5:30am each morning to walk the dog and get ready for work. I clock in at 7:00am at my desk. I drink coffee. 2 or 3 small mugs worth. No breakfast for me until around 9:00am when my hunger kicks in. It's been like this for me for the last 7 or 8 years.

On weekends I skip food altogether until lunch. Again I find the coffee (always black) kills my appetite for food.
I'm pretty sure coffee is considered an appetite depressant.  I know I have similar experiences to this with my routine (up @ 7, 1 coffee by 9, eating lunch by 11).  Breakfast for me is a special occasion thing - weekends, holidays or whatnot.

AJ

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #38 on: March 02, 2012, 12:59:32 PM »

I also *have* to eat a meal just before bed or I will wake up famished. I know you're not supposed to do that

This is totally unscientific, but it is interesting to note that one of the techniques professional sumo wrestlers use to deliberately gain massive amounts of weight is to skip breakfast, in order to build up an appetite during the day, and then have a huge meal immediately before a mid-day nap and before going to sleep for the night.

Hmm, I wonder if that actually helps. I've always eaten before bed and I've always been naturally thin, but that is purely anecdotal.

madhadron

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #39 on: April 17, 2012, 10:25:29 PM »
If you're not heavily stressed or ill, listen to your body. My body demands breakfast, and my girlfriend and I enjoy sitting down to breakfast together. We get up an hour and a half before we head off to work so we have time to cook a real breakfast and eat it together. My father, on the other hand, doesn't eat much for breakfast, but generally has a snack about halfway through the morning. He ate big breakfasts when he was younger. These things vary.

But you know what? Humans managed to get by just fine for a long time before we knew anything about diet. Your dog has no preconceptions about when it should be eating. You, as an animal, have a highly evolved sense of when you want to eat and what you want to eat (though the latter can be screwed up if you're addicted to high sugar or the like).

sideways8

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #40 on: April 23, 2012, 06:43:16 PM »
I didn't eat breakfast for YEARS. Just didn't have the stomach for it in the morning. I HAAAATTTTEEE mornings. It usually takes me at least a couple of hours to want to eat in the morning. I am a big supporter of breakfast being important in general, although, as with everything, there are exceptions to the rule. I'm sure there are people out there who really do better without eating first thing in the morning.

AJ, I find the opposite happens with me! If I fill up right before bed, I wake up with a raging appetite so strong it almost makes me nauseous. Weird!

unitsinc

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #41 on: April 24, 2012, 07:01:53 AM »
What is more important than meal timing is what you're having.

Go for some protein protein protein and leave the carbs out.

Cereal may be tasty and cheap, but isn't that great for you.

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #42 on: April 24, 2012, 11:53:10 AM »
Also, if you aren't hungry for breakfast, but then you get hungry later on and eat only healthy foods for the rest of the day, that seems fine to me too.

Glad to have the MMM mark of approval on my dietary habits...  ;)

I rarely eat breakfast during the week, I start work at 6:30 which is just "too early" to eat for me, I just don't feel up to it.  I can't adjust my work to provide time for a meal so sometimes I'm not eating until 12:00 or even later, today it might be 2:00...  So I keep raw almonds in my office and grab a handful between cases, or eat a few graham crackers that they have around here.  I don't always get away long enough to even do that, or I run out.  I sometimes drink coffee or have a diet caffeine free coke if I have time.  In general I try to eat lunch around 11-11:30 if possible, which is often just a very large salad.

It's not a great system, but it works for me.  What matters most to me is that I'm not shoving in poor food just because I should eat, and I'm not compensating for my lack of breakfast by eating crap.  As a medical professional if someone told me this was their dietary habit I would "tut tut" the habit, but would also say it's probably not going to hurt them if their overall diet was good and they were tolerating this well, which meshes well with MMM thoughts.  As someone (Voltaire?) said, "Perfect is the enemy of good".

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #43 on: April 26, 2012, 09:44:46 AM »
If I don't eat at least a massive breakfast everyday, I don't function. I often have a hard enough time eating in enough food throughout the day.

Do I think breakfast is for everyone? I'd say yes, but the time we actually need to eat after waking up varies between persons. I also look at it this way, my immediate family is overweight, and in poor health and none of them eat breakfast, but I am a healthy weight and get breakfast. Connection? I think so.


arebelspy

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #44 on: April 26, 2012, 11:08:01 AM »
Anecdotes are not science.
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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #45 on: May 03, 2012, 10:47:59 AM »
I'm not sure what I find stranger, seeing people intelligently arguing with research to support their ideas on forums (which didn't even happen in my online courses as an undergrad), or that the discussion that is so passionately debated about is if breakfast is good for you.

Hungry or not, you can't go wrong with a banana to fuel your morning.

Unfortunately, I have no research to back up my claim :P

igthebold

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #46 on: May 03, 2012, 11:19:06 AM »
And even the research, if it's just showing correlations, could be misleading. Correlating breakfast with school performance is fine, but making a causation argument is harder. It could be that a higher percentage of parents with kids who eat breakfast also care about their kids' educations.

For what it's worth (not much, I know) I eat breakfast because it's delicious and I'm hungry in the morning.

Jimmy

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Re: Is Breakfast for Everyone?
« Reply #47 on: May 03, 2012, 01:25:30 PM »
Anecdotes are not science.

If the question is about possibility, then you can scientifically answer the question with a single anecdote about observing the thing happening. If the question is about a blanket statement, then you need only one counterexample to disprove it. For example,

Hungry or not, you can't go wrong with a banana to fuel your morning.

I heard about a guy who was allergic to bananas. I demolish your statement by anecdote. (Besides, I hate bananas.)

Should I force myself to eat when I'm not hungry?

It probably doesn't make much of a difference either way, health-wise.

I eat breakfast because my kids get cranky without it, and it's a good time to spend with my family.