7am in Saigon. People pull over on their motorbikes for a bánh mì, a cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with condensed milk), or duck into the phở shop at the end of the alley. But plenty of others only have time for a coffee before racing to the office.
Since childhood, we have heard: "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Skip it and you will hurt your stomach, slow your metabolism and gain weight.
There is a surprise behind this famous line. And when scientists actually put it to the test, the results were more interesting than you might expect.
In this article
Where did the famous slogan come from?
"Breakfast is the most important meal" sounds like medical truth. But in the West, the line was used heavily in breakfast cereal advertising throughout the 20th century.
That does not make it wrong. It has just been repeated so often that we forgot to ask: where is the evidence?
For many years, the evidence was mostly observational studies. Researchers saw that regular breakfast eaters tended to be healthier. But regular breakfast eaters also tended to sleep enough, smoke less and exercise more. It was hard to know what caused what.
When scientists tested it for real
To know for sure, you need a randomised trial: split people into two groups, one eats breakfast and one skips it, then compare.
- In 2014, a UK study (the Bath Breakfast Project) did exactly that for 6 weeks. Skipping breakfast did not slow resting metabolic rate. The breakfast group did move more in the morning.
- In 2019, a review in the BMJ pooled many randomised trials. Conclusion: eating breakfast did not help people manage their weight better. Breakfast eaters even took in slightly more total energy over the day.
In other words: for healthy adults, skipping breakfast is not the disaster the rumour claims. But eating breakfast is not a bad thing either.
So who should eat breakfast, and who is fine skipping it?
The honest answer: it depends on your body and your routine.
Breakfast is well worth having for:
- Children and students. They are growing and need energy for lessons. Many studies suggest breakfast helps them concentrate better.
- Manual workers and people who train in the morning.
- Older adults, and anyone who struggles to eat enough in fewer meals.
- People with underlying conditions or taking medication who need regular meal times. Ask your doctor about a suitable eating schedule.
- People who skip breakfast, then eat ravenously at lunch, crash in the afternoon and snack at night.
Skipping may be fine for:
- Healthy people who wake up without feeling hungry.
- People who eat an early lunch that is well balanced.
- People who feel lighter and more alert without breakfast.
This is actually close to intermittent fasting, which you can read about in 16:8 intermittent fasting.
The real trap: a breakfast made only of sugar
If there is something to worry about, it is not skipping breakfast. It is what kind of breakfast you eat.
A very familiar morning: a very sweet iced coffee with condensed milk, plus a slice of sponge cake. Or a milk tea and a packet of biscuits. This meal is high in sugar and low in protein and fibre. Blood sugar shoots up, then drops fast. By 10am you are hungry and craving sweets again.
Compare it with a breakfast that has protein and fibre:
| Sugar-heavy breakfast | Breakfast that keeps you full longer |
|---|---|
| Sweet iced milk coffee + cake | Coffee with less sugar + egg bánh mì with vegetables |
| Milk tea + biscuits | A bowl of phở or bún, with extra herbs and greens |
| Sweet cereal with sweetened milk | A moderate portion of xôi đậu (sticky rice with beans) + a boiled egg |
| Just a glass of juice | Chicken rice porridge, or bánh cuốn with egg + fruit |
Vietnamese breakfasts already offer plenty of balanced choices: phở, bún, cháo (rice porridge), bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls), egg bánh mì. Just watch the sugar in your coffee and the greens in your bowl.
If you want breakfast but have no time
A few tips for rushed mornings:
- Prep the night before. Boil a few eggs and keep them in the fridge to eat over several days.
- Keep an easy protein on hand: unsweetened milk, unsweetened yoghurt, tofu.
- Grab-and-go fruit: bananas, mandarins, guavas.
- Cut the sugar in your coffee little by little, so your taste buds adjust.
- Not hungry? Do not force it. You can bring a small snack for 10am.
Inside the kOBE kitchen
If your morning is a few minutes before you head out the door, ready-cooked frozen food can help.
The night before, move a pack of Sous Vide Chicken Breast and a portion of Japanese Sweet Potato from the freezer to the fridge. In the morning, reheat in the microwave on low, add a few leaves of greens, and you have a meal with protein and carbs. The chicken breast has 31g protein per 100g, and Japanese sweet potato 122 kcal per 100g.
And for those who like milk in the morning, kOBE Oat Milk has no added refined sugar, 34 kcal per 100ml. See more on the Ingredients page.
Frequently asked questions
Does skipping breakfast harm your stomach?
Is it OK to have only coffee in the morning?
Does a late breakfast at 10am still count?
Keep reading
Sources
- Betts J.A. et al. (2014). The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in lean adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 100(2):539 to 547.
- Sievert K. et al. (2019). Effect of breakfast on weight and energy intake: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 364:l42.
- National Institute of Nutrition (Vietnam) (2016). Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vietnamese People.
- Further reading: Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies 16th ed., chapter 9; Diet Cults (Matt Fitzgerald), chapter 1.
