In the month of February, we are looking at the topic of "breakfast" from the perspective of Maharishi Ayurveda. Breakfast is considered unimportant in many modern diets. However, the Ayurvedic tradition considers breakfast to be the second most important meal of the day after lunch.

Many people skip breakfast. Lack of hunger in the morning, time pressure on the way to work and the recommendation to do intermittent fasting with the 16/8 rule are good reasons to skip breakfast.

Breakfast falls into the Kapha time of the day. Kapha is the energy that sustains the physical substance of the body. What we eat during the Kapha time of the day can be assimilated and processed particularly well by the body. In addition, food intake during the Kapha period stimulates the activity of Agni, our digestive fire. This provides the body with warmth and energy from the start of the day.

Both the classical Ayurvedic texts and some modern studies suggest that breakfast is important and healthy.

The ancient scriptures state: "Lunch is the most important meal, breakfast the second most important, dinner the least important." An old Asian proverb says: "Invite your friends for breakfast, your enemies for dinner."

In many ancient cultures, it is known that evening meals significantly affect the quality of sleep. Alongside a healthy diet, restful sleep is the most important pillar of good health, which is sabotaged by eating dinner.

So what are the positive effects of breakfast?

Maintaining ideal weight

People who do not eat breakfast are more likely to be overweight *¹. This is true for different cultures.

Breakfast improves cognitive performance

People who eat breakfast are mentally more efficient and emotionally more balanced *². Daytime tiredness is also less common among breakfast eaters. Some studies show that eating breakfast instead of dinner improves memory and attention.

Breakfast reduces the risk of adult-onset diabetes and the formation of arteriosclerotic plaques

By stimulating the metabolism in the morning, carbohydrates and fats are better processed during the day and therefore do not lead to metabolic diseases*³.

Breakfast reduces the risk of high blood pressure

A study from South Korea showed that people who eat breakfast at least 5 times a week are less likely to suffer from high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome*⁴.

Breakfast extends lifespan

Japan is the land of the long-lived. A study from Japan showed that skipping breakfast increased mortality from various diseases (cardiovascular, cancer)*⁵.

Read next week how to create an Ayurvedic breakfast for different body types.

 

References:

*¹: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21925535/

*²: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241917/

*³: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411234/

*⁴: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5115204/

*⁵: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27046951/