{"id":2325,"date":"2020-05-14T17:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T00:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amihungry.com\/should-i-eat-breakfast-if-im-not-hungry\/"},"modified":"2021-01-07T11:21:51","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T18:21:51","slug":"should-i-eat-breakfast-if-im-not-hungry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amihungry.com\/should-i-eat-breakfast-if-im-not-hungry\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I eat breakfast if I’m not hungry?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"For our whole lives we’ve heard that “breakfast is that most important meal of the day.” Then along comes mindful eating and the answer to the question, “Should I eat breakfast if I’m not hungry?” isn’t so clear cut!<\/p>\n

The old adage stems from the very word “breakfast,” which refers to “breaking the fast.”<\/p>\n

Typically, the explanation is that skipping breakfast adversely affects your metabolism because when you skip breakfast, you\u2019re not just skipping a meal: if you eat dinner and don\u2019t eat again until lunch the next day, that\u2019s an 18 hour fast. The concern is that your body is thinking, I\u2019m starving! <\/em>and will conserve energy.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What does the research say about eating breakfast?<\/h2>\n

A recent review of the research<\/a> calls some of the purported benefits of eating breakfast into question.<\/p>\n

It turns out that although we’ve been told that eating breakfast is an important habit, that was primarily based on observational studies. That means that although there appears to be a correlation<\/em> between eating breakfast and certain outcomes, there is no way to know whether eating breakfast is the cause<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What else might explain a correlation between breakfast and better health? Well, perhaps people who eat breakfast are also those who get up early to exercise or meditate. Maybe they don’t eat late at night so they are hungry in the morning. Perhaps they sleep well and\/or don’t drink alcohol at night. Maybe they consume more fiber and calcium. Maybe they eat a balanced diet throughout the day. Maybe they aren’t working long hours in a stressful job. You get the idea…<\/p>\n

In other words, it may not be the breakfast itself, but other associated behaviors and factors (or more likely, a combination of behaviors and factors) that make it appear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but there is no way to say that breakfast itself is beneficial.<\/p>\n

And of course, the popularity of intermittent fasting has turned the old advice to eat breakfast on its head! One form of intermittent fasting recommends skipping breakfast and eating all of your meals in an 8 or 10 hour window. So much for the most important meal!<\/p>\n

Should I eat breakfast if I’m not hungry?<\/h2>\n

One of the most common questions I’m asked about using hunger to help guide eating is, “Should I eat breakfast if I’m not hungry?”<\/p>\n

In Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs<\/a>, we don’t give people rules like “you have to eat breakfast.”<\/p>\n

Instead, we guide them to recognize their patterns and try to understand why<\/em> they do what they do so they can make decisions for themselves.<\/p>\n

Mindful eating is an inside-out approach that teaches you to become an expert in yourself, <\/em>rather trying to be a good rule-follower.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mindful Eating and Breakfast<\/h2>\n

I’m always glad when the breakfast question comes up because it’s a great example of how this whole hunger-fullness<\/a> thing works.<\/p>\n

So, instead of following an old rule to eat breakfast, or a new rule to skip breakfast, let’s tap into your wisdom!<\/p>\n

Wisdom = Knowledge + Experience<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here are some things to consider when learning to use hunger to guide your decisions about breakfast. Hopefully these will give you some insights about your own choices and help you make decisions from the “inside out” about eating!<\/p>\n

Some people just aren’t hungry in the morning, and that’s ok!<\/h3>\n

You don’t have to eat breakfast the minute your feet hit the floor – or even within an hour of getting up. If you aren’t hungry right away, keep checking in so you notice you’re hungry<\/a> before you are starving – a common trigger for overeating.<\/p>\n

(Try our Mindful Eating Virtual Coach app<\/a>. It has a timer you can set to remind you to do a Body-Mind-Heart scan.)<\/p>\n

Are you inhibiting hunger?<\/h3>\n

Some people don’t feel hungry when they wake up because they immediately jump into their day, racing around taking care of other people, stressing out, rushing to work, slamming down several cups of coffee, etc., so their hunger is suppressed by the adrenaline and caffeine.<\/p>\n

If that might be you, can you create a little space to pause, take a few deep breaths, and check in? (Again our app<\/a> can help with that.)<\/p>\n

Do you have time to eat?<\/h3>\n

Along the same lines, other people are hungry but haven’t figured out how to make time to eat in the morning. If this sounds like you, here are some questions to help you pinpoint the challenge and come up with a solution:<\/p>\n