The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute, that’s an amazing 100,000 times a day. It pumps around 7,500 litres of blood through 100,000 kilometers of blood vessels every single day. This is an amazing function that could not be done without sufficient nutrients from healthy foods, especially breakfast – the most important meal of the day.

The word “breakfast” came into use in written English in the 15th century and literally means to break the fasting period of the night and this is why the morning meal is very important, because it gives our bodies the much needed kick-start after not eating for the night and prepares us for the day.

Glucose (sugar) is the body’s primary energy source. It is broken down from the carbohydrates we consume and transported from the intestines and liver via the bloodstream being made available for cell absorption. In the morning after waking is when our glucose levels are lowest and eating breakfast replenishes the body thus increasing our metabolic rate (how fast calories are burnt).

When we don’t eat breakfast our body thinks it is being malnourished and will not process the next meal (usually lunch) as quickly, trying to hold onto all the nutrients it can because it didn’t receive a morning meal – this is why eating breakfast is a must for weight loss. People also tend to overeat later in the day if breakfast is skipped.

As well as possible weight gain, not eating breakfast has many other effects on the body. You can have low energy levels and moods because you’re not getting the much needed kick-start. As a result this can reduce the ability to work and perform well at school – there have been many studies confirming that children who don’t eat breakfast perform worse at school than their breakfast eating counterparts.

Quick and easy options for breakfast include Vegemite on toast, cereals like Weet-Bix or Cornflakes, a piece of fruit, fruit or plain yoghurts, porridge or eggs on toast. Some say their stomachs can’t handle breakfast first thing in the morning, so have a mid-morning snack instead.

In the fast paced world we live in it’s understandable that not everyone has time to eat a healthy breakfast every day of the week but you should make an effort to try. If you do have kids, not giving them breaky could impact on their emotional and physical health and everyday life, as well as your own.