For years we’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. My parents told me, I told my children, and I told myself.

According to the authorities: Eat breakfast and you’ll have more energy, more brainpower, be more productive, and leaner. Skip breakfast and you won’t have energy, you won’t be able to think clearly, you will be prone to weight gain, and you increase your disease risks.

But is this another of the “changing truths” when it comes to food and nutrition? Maybe this is another rule to be broken, as discussed in “Pondering the Rules.”

According to an article in the Washington Post ( http://wapo.st/1EkvbrH ), researchers from Columbia University conducted a test of the commonly held belief that missing breakfast is associated with excess body weight. They concluded that skipping breakfast daily for four weeks (in overweight individuals) leads to a reduction in body weight.

Other studies have come up with similar results!

Dr. John Berardi, who co-authored an extensive study review on meal frequency for the International Society of Sports Nutrition, lists 5 reasons to skip breakfast:

It’s not required to boost metabolism.
It can lower your total caloric intake for the day.
It reduces insulin levels.
It can help lower your total carb intake for the day.
It can help you tune in to your body by making breakfast optional.
Intermittent Fasting

One way to skip breakfast is to practice Intermittent fasting, which refers to an eating pattern that includes a good number of hours with no eating (i.e., fasting). Commonly, a person will skip breakfast and not begin eating until lunch time.

Kris Gunnars, BSc ( http://bit.ly/1TWt8mF ), has listed 10 evidence-based health benefits stating that Intermittent Fasting:

1. Changes the function of cells, genes, and hormones.
• Blood levels of insulin drop, which facilitates fat burning
• Human growth hormone increases
• Cellular repair increases
• Beneficial changes occur in some genes related to longevity and protection against disease.

2. Can help you lose weight and belly fat.
• Generally, you will be consuming fewer calories
• Hormone function is enhanced that facilitates weight loss
• Metabolic rate increases

3. Can reduce insulin resistance therefore lowing your risk of diabetes.

4. Can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

5. Can improve numerous risk factors for heart disease (blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and inflammatory markers).

6. Can induce various cellular repair processes.

7. May help prevent cancer.

8. May have important benefits for brain health.

9. May help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

10. May extend your lifespan.

Dr. Mercola is one of many health care professionals who touts the advantages of intermittent fasting, as seen in the following infographic. www.mercola.com/infographics/intermit...

Intermittent fasting is not a form of starvation but a way for you to time your meals to maximize your body’s ability to burn fat.

Be Mindful
The important thing is to be mindful…pay attention to your own body!

In summary, the two take-aways here are:

1. Breakfast is optional.
2. You might want to consider intermittent fasting.

What about you? Do you eat or skip breakfast? If you practice intermittent fasting, what results have you noticed? Please comment in the comment box at http://stopeatingyourheartout.com/201...

Love and Blessings,
Meryl

Speaking of being mindful – I have the honor and privilege of being interviewed by Dr. Susan Albers on The Mindful Eating Summit.

Although I won’t be talking about skipping breakfast or about intermittent fasting, I will be discussing the challenges I used to have with emotional eating and then leading a SourceTapping® session to eliminate a craving.

Register now at the link below! My interview will be on November 2nd and the summit continues through Nov. 6th.

StopEatingYourHeartOut.com/mindfuleat...