Growing up I always heard, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” …And with that I would force myself to eat, even when I wasn’t hungry.
I’ve come to realize that this statement is true, however how I, and many others, interpret(ed) it is all wrong.
Breakfast literally means to break your fast – to end the fast you are on from a night’s sleep. The meal decision of what to eat for breakfast is important, but when we do this is also important. There is no need to wake up and shove food down your throat to break your fast. This can wait, especially if you aren’t hungry.
However, when you do finally eat, the meal should be healthy. Over the school year I was trying to do 14 hour fasts, Sunday to Thursday nights (not happening in the summer, but I’ll get back to it). I would have dinner and not eat again until later in the morning. So, if I finished dinner at 7pm, I wouldn’t eat again until 9.
I love this pattern, it feels good, and besides unhealthy late night snacks, and forcing myself to eat earlier that I normally felt like eating, I’m not missing anything. I also tend to exercise early in the morning and I think it is really healthy to do this after the night’s fast.
So, if you aren’t someone that enjoys your early morning breakfast, just delay it. But when you break your fast, try to feed your body with something healthy.
I remember you writing about this at the start of the year. I have maintained a 12 hour fast for much of the year. I may not be matching this with an exercise regime, but it is at least a start.
I may not have noticed the consequences of all this, but I do feel different when I break it.
Also on: Read Write Collect
That’s interesting Aaron, so the difference is felt when not on the fast ‘as usual’. I’ve been off the fast for most of the summer and look forward to being back on it when my schedule normalizes. It’s the one thing that has been hard to maintain over my break.
I still don’t rush breakfast, but my late dinners and snacking are what have been what has made the fasting tough.