Do We Still Need Breakfast?

Our experts debate whether we really need to eat before midday...

What food gets you out of bed when the alarm goes off? A warm croissant? A trusty bowl of Weetabix? Or, perhaps like one in five Brits*, you skip breakfast altogether?

Many of us were raised on the old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And for good reason – as endless studies have shown that eating breakfast has big health benefits, including reducing obesity and lowering the risk of heart disease.

But over the past decade, the rise of intermittent fasting and a wave of new research has challenged these long-held beliefs, disputing notions that skipping breakfast will lead to gorging on calorific quick fixes and increase obesity. With so much conflicting information, we asked the experts to tackle the great breakfast debate…

Did you know?

A glass of fruit juice (150ml) contains 3tsp of ‘free’ sugar – nearly half our daily maximum allowance. Free sugar is sugar that is added to food. Or, in fruit juice, it’s released from the cell walls when the fruit is crushed. Stick to whole fruit to reap the goodness.

‘It boosts health and happiness’

Yes