“Those who start well are half the battle.” It is a saying that also applies at the table!
Nutrition experts say this when they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

SOME NUMBERS ....

As soon as you wake up it is important to get your body moving, filling up with energy and thus being able to face the day's activities in the best possible way. However, the fuel must be the right one and therefore rich in the necessary nutrients .

And not always everyone knows what they are and how they should be combined.

For example, according to the Doxa-AIDEPI survey "I start well" of 2016, it emerged that even mothers, who on the one hand know the importance of breakfast and the influence it has on their children's academic performance , they are prepared on the right mix of nutrients.

In short, everyone talks about it, but very few really know the basic rules of breakfast and commonplaces and urban legends continue to circulate merciless, claiming victims who continue to not have breakfast or to do it badly.

The 2018 edition of the same Doxa-Aidepi survey "Io commincio bene" (the campaign wanted and supported by the Association of the Italian sweet and pasta industries that promotes the value of breakfast and lives on the iocominciobene blog) highlighted in particular some gross errors, debunking popular beliefs and adding some denials and considerations to the list of recent years.

Silvia Migliaccio , nutritionist and lecturer at the “Foro Italico” University of Rome, offers some advice and recommendations, including three breakfast ideas based on three different caloric needs. And, listen, listen, in one of the three clears even the snacks . As if to say, est modus in rebus (there is a measure in all things). But like other theses made in this research, there are nutritionists who would shiver (unless you mean very, very healthy snacks ) .

First of all, know that if you want to gain weight, an excellent strategy is to skip breakfast and also know that superfoods do not in any way keep the promises that are often disclosed (not that they hurt, however ...).

According to research, the idea of a protein- only breakfast , the Anglo-Saxon breakfast to be understood, is absolutely wrong, since it is essential that the first meal of the day contains all the nutrients. And therefore it goes without saying that even the fruit-only breakfast does not meet the ideal nutritional needs, much less coffee on the fly .

According to the survey yes to cow's milk instead, described as a real panacea, being rich in water, vitamins, proteins, fats and minerals: it strongly hydrates (intense need in the early morning) and is sufficiently complete. But the issue is debated and for some time many nutritionists have advised against the consumption of milk in adulthood.

As for the old and wise advice of the grandmother it must be said instead that there is no scientific evidence that accredits them, but at the same time most of these sayings (like drinking hot water and lemon on an empty stomach) do no harm. And indeed, we add, if there is a placebo effect why not? Last but not least the dessert for breakfast is welcome, indeed recommended. Precisely because consolation is needed and that is the right time, breakfast.

But what happens to our body if we skip breakfast? In an in-depth study in the context of the Io commincio bene campaign that continues in 2019 , Dr. Valeria del Balzo , nutrition biologist at the La Sapienza University of Rome, identifies six points why it is good not to skip it .

After an overnight fast, you are without energy , glucose stocks decrease and it is therefore important to restore them with a good breakfast, which is essential to keep endocrine, metabolic and cardiovascular mechanisms in balance. The perfect mix to start the day on the right foot is made up of carbohydrates , milk and fruit .

Once again it is confirmed that skipping the first meal of the day makes you fat. Instead, having breakfast increases the overall sense of satiety. A message that Italians seem to have understood, so much so that of the 23 million on a diet, according to the recent survey by the Doxa / UnionFood Observatory “I start well” , only 2% skip breakfast.

Giving up breakfast also makes you more nervous and irritable. The typical products of the Italian sweet breakfast help to improve mood thanks to the production of serotonin, giving a feeling of well - being .

Numerous publications have shown that omitting this meal slows concentration . " A breakfast based on cereals combined with rapidly absorbed sugars is the secret to better brain function - comments Dr. del Balzo - neurons must have their reservoirs full of energy and in particular of glucose to function properly ."

Some studies also highlight that the lack of breakfast can negatively affect sports performance both in the morning and in the afternoon. “ For those who practice sports in the morning, a breakfast based on complex and simple carbohydrates with a good supply of liquids, which can come not only from drinks but also from fruit, is recommended . Furthermore, vitamins and mineral salts also help a lot in this ”, suggests the expert.

Even the heart can suffer , so in the right doses and proportions: “ Breakfast is a good habit that improves the supply of nutrients necessary for the prevention of heart disease - comments the nutritionist . Milk , for example, contains bioactive peptides, substances that contribute to the normal maintenance of blood pressure, which is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. "

Therefore, there are excellent reasons why it is worth dedicating a little more time to this daily ritual, to be considered as a cuddle that will allow us to face the day with a positive mood .

Ornella Guess
September 2016
updated by Emanuela Di Pasqua
October 2018
updated by Mariacristina Coppeto
October 2019