All of us know that breakfast is the day’s first meal, which most nutritionists around the world put great emphasis on. Unfortunately, many people in today’s hectic, busy world skip breakfast because of essential morning chores, or work rush, and they eventually end up taking an unhealthy diet late in the day.

Breakfast, as the name suggests, breaks the nightlong fasting that our bodies experience while we sleep. Having breakfast is important because if we sleep for 8 to 10 hours, and leave the home with an empty stomach, then our body will draw energy from the muscles to perform the tasks we do throughout the day. This can be fatal, and it can lead to serious health issues.

Here are the 8 benefits of a protein-rich breakfast every day, early in the morning.

1 - Breakfast Kick-Starts Your Metabolism

Our metabolism tends to go down after a night’s sleep. A nutritious breakfast in the morning gives our metabolism the boost it needs to restart. Kick-starting our metabolism makes our bodies feel more charged up through the day, and it also helps us burn calories to a large extent.

2 - Breakfast Is an Immune Booster

A healthy breakfast of cereal, milk, eggs, and fruits, strengthens the body’s defense system and provides protection against a variety of viruses, causing flu, colds, and other infectious diseases. In addition, having breakfast at the right time ensures the proper functionality of our intestines, making the immune system healthy and strong. A solid defense system keeps us in good physical and mental shape.

3 - Skipping Breakfast Is Harmful to Your Heart’s Health

Doctors link skipping of breakfast to the narrowing and hardening of atherosclerosis (arteries), which enhances the likelihood of strokes and heart attacks.

According to an American study, people who do not skip their breakfast have a lower chance of getting a heart attack. Another study, involving over 4,000 participants, pointed out that people who consumed lesser than 5% of the day's calories in their breakfast have a strong possibility of experiencing heart-related issues.

Many other surveys suggest that skipping breakfast heightens the chances of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which often leads to heart attacks.

4 - Breakfast Assists Weight Regulation

Various medical research papers reveal that breakfast influences the body’s weight balancing significantly. Studies also show that a healthy, protein-rich breakfast limits weight gain. Additionally, a nutritious breakfast helps maintain the hormonal balance properly, ensuring the right weight regulation of the body.
5 - Skipping Breakfast Increases Stress Levels

A group of researchers working on a project at the University of California, Davis, observed that stress hormone cortisol levels are higher in people who have a habit of skipping their breakfast. The researchers stated that stress, combined with habitually missing the breakfast, can highly increase the possibility of cardio-metabolic disease.

6 - Breakfast Improves Focus and Concentration

The moment people have their breakfast, their bloodstream gets supercharged because of the supply of massive amounts of energy, which helps the brain to function appropriately. In addition, a good morning breakfast boosts the blood sugar levels, which usually goes down during our night-time sleep. The increased glucose level in the bloodstream ensures the proper functioning of the brain. It also uplifts the mood, and prevents mood swings, improving the ability to focus and concentrate on critical tasks.

7 - Breakfast Gives a Huge Boost to Short-term Memory

A study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, tried to establish a relationship between short-term memory and nutritious breakfast. The research focused on 319 adolescents in the age group of 13 to 20-year-olds, and the study showed how the intake of high-energy breakfasts helped adolescents to recall short-term memory instantly.

Recently, the Journal of Physiology and Behavior released a study that highlights the importance of eating a healthy breakfast. The study found that even elementary school kids benefitted from protein-rich breakfasts, which improved their short-term and spatial memories.

Though most of the studies were geared towards teenagers and children, doctors believe that a healthy breakfast can also enhance the short-term memory of adults as well.

8 - Breakfast Helps Fight Migraine

Studies reveal that missing breakfast is one of the main factors that trigger a migraine. So people suffering from migraines should never step out of their house without having their breakfast.

For optimizing the usefulness of breakfast, always go for a well-balanced, nutritious breakfast that contains a substantial amount of fiber and protein. Developing the habit of eating breakfast is crucial for your mental and physical health. So to stay clear of complications, and to live life to its full extent, make sure to have your breakfast at the right time.