Leading a busy life makes it hard to sit down and eat three square meals a day. The meal that many seem to miss is breakfast due to sleeping in as much as possible before their first class. Sleep is very important, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

The BBC News Health section states that “skipping the first meal of the day increases the chances of becoming obese, developing diabetes or even having a heart attack.” Dr. Mark Pereira did a study at Harvard Medical School where he analyzed the eating habits of over 2000 participants. He discovered that people who eat breakfast everyday were 47 percent less likely to become obese. Eating breakfast will help keep you more full throughout the day, which will make it less likely to overeat. It also showed that people are half as likely to have a blood sugar problem, which also saves people from the risk of diabetes or high cholesterol which could later turn into heart disease.

It is a common misconception that taking breakfast out of the equation will add to weight loss. This could not be a more false statement. Most people get around eight hours of sleep per night. During this time, the body has not eaten food, leading to a brief period of starvation. When you do not eat breakfast, your body remains in starvation mode, but if you eat breakfast, your body will get a metabolism boost. Having a faster metabolism helps burn fat. Skipping breakfast lowers your metabolism and makes it that much harder to lose weight.

Eating breakfast is also important for the brain. It is a good source of fuel for your brain which will help you think throughout the day. Breakfast is a key factor in performing at your best mental level. “A study published in the November 2001 issue of “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”* showed that eating breakfast improved participants’ performance on memory tests” states About.com.

There are many benefits to eating breakfast in the morning. Do not let your busy schedule or your want for a few more minutes of sleep get in the way of all of the benefits eating breakfast has to offer.