Contents
How to get hungrier at breakfast
SKIPPING BREAKFAST BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY
Breakfast, the most important meal of the day
Breakfast is a very important meal because it allows us to study or work properly all morning, without going hungry until lunchtime.
It is recommended that breakfast contain cereals, fruit, and sources of protein and calcium, such as vegetal drinks with calcium, nuts, seeds, etc.
But when there’s no appetite, breakfast can be one of the most difficult meals of the day. In this article, we propose solutions to improve it:
 Photo of breakfast with bread, fresh cheese, an orange, and herbal tea |
Hunger for breakfast
Why am I not hungry at breakfast time?
The hormone ghrelin is responsible for signaling the body when it should feel hungry.
The name ghrelin comes from Growth Hormone, because it was related to this in its functions (hence the “gh“).
This hormone tells the digestive system to prepare to eat, that is, to start secreting digestive juices and moving the intestines, because food will soon be consumed. This digestive preparation makes you hungry.
In other words, appetite is controlled by spikes in the hormone ghrelin . When a person never eats breakfast, the body stops producing this hormone. “There’s no need to prepare the digestive system, because it never eats breakfast. “
People who never eat breakfast produce little ghrelin in the mornings because they do not have the established eating habit. By skipping breakfast, the body stops producing this hormone in the mornings.
How to get an appetite for breakfast?
People who don’t eat breakfast are advised to train their bodies to educate breakfast, that is, to teach the brain that in the morning it should produce ghrelin to start the digestive system working.
The way to educate the body to eat breakfast is to maintain a regular breakfast habit, preferably always at the same time, or at a similar time.
At first, you eat breakfast without being hungry, but once you develop the habit, the body responds with the production of ghrelin, and after a while, you end up having an appetite for breakfast.
Why can’t I get hungry for breakfast?
- Eating a lot of dinner: A complete but light dinner is recommended, that is, with food cooked in a gentle way. Avoid pre-cooked foods (pizzas, etc.) and foods very high in fat (eat lots of nuts, fried foods, processed meats, red meat).
- Lack of fixed schedules: Having breakfast at different times, regular schedules changes (night work, teenagers sleeping late, etc.)
Why is it bad not to eat breakfast?
 The brain needs breakfast. It’s important for children and young people to eat this important meal of the day |
Besides a lack of energy, skipping breakfast is related to having attention problems, poor school or work performance, bad mood, headaches, tiredness,…
Throughout the day, the body needs to ingest foods that provide it different nutrients. All meals are important to achieve the recommended daily amounts of nutrients and prevent nutritional deficiencies.
For example, calcium is much better assimilated when its consumption is spread throughout the day, rather than taking a tablet once a day with all the daily calcium needed, or making only 1 meal rich in calcium.
Even during fasting, breakfast is an important part.
Problems with eating too little
Eating little in general can cause constipation and digestive problems such as hemorrhoids , poor quality of intestinal flora (which manifests as flatulence, gas, swollen belly, etc.), and diverticula.
If left untreated, these problems, in the long term, increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
* See: Remedies to increase appetite
Why is it recommended to eat in the morning?
Eating in the morning is important because the digestive organs also need to eat breakfast. After sleeping for eight hours, the stomach is empty and needs starches, soluble fiber, and hydration to dilute the acids it contains.
The intestines increase their motility in the presence of food, which prevents constipation. Furthermore, if you eat vegetables, you will nourish the healthy gut microbiota with their fiber.
Eating little and having an empty intestine weakens the fermentative intestinal flora (good bacteria) and favors the growth of pathogenic or putrefactive microorganisms, such as Candida.
* More information: How to make a good breakfast
More information on healthy breakfasts
