√ Breakfast: what do we really know?

Breakfast: what do we really know?

It is called "breakfast" depending on the region: it is the first meal of the day, after a few ten hours of fasting. Most nutritionists insist on its importance, but what do we really know about breakfast? What should it be composed of? Is it really essential when you want to lose weight? Can we do without it?

Breakfast: this meal is losing momentum

All surveys show that breakfast is increasingly neglected, especially among young people. In France, the proportion of teenagers eating breakfast per day rose from 79% in 2003 to 59% in 2010. Among adults, the decline is slower but very regular since the beginning of the century. How to explain this erosion in the face of the meal often described as "most important of the day"? According to Pascale Hebel, a consumer specialist, breakfast is a meal that suffers from "lacks":

- The lack of time. Waking up is more and more late, which makes it difficult to skip breakfast or to spend only a short time. This is mainly due to a late falling asleep: young people delay more and more the time to sleep. Information and Communication Technologies (LED screens, tablets, laptops) are the main offenders.

- The lack of conviviality. Unlike lunch or dinner, breakfast is often an individual meal: everyone chooses the products he prefers and eats alone. This is the same phenomenon as for the purposes of meals that are more and more individualized.

- The lack of appetite. Many do not feel the need to eat in the morning, despite fasting for several hours. This phenomenon is often related to excesses performed in the evening, meals too late or lack of sleep.

- The lack of varieties. Unlike other meals, breakfast may seem monotonous. However, it is possible to vary its composition by providing in advance several alternatives to the classic lunch.

What to do in case of lack of appetite?

- Swallow a large glass of water at sunrise.

- Have breakfast after getting ready.

- Continue the habit on the weekends and during the holidays.

If, despite this, you are still not hungry, it is useless to force yourself to eat!