Is it Better to Skip Breakfast or Eat a Doughnut?

SKIPPING BREAKFAST ISN’T A GOOD IDEA

The clock’s not on your side this morning. You’re late for work and running late for a huge meeting. Like most people in a panic, you forget something important: breakfast. That yogurt and banana are still sitting on that freshly-polished countertop. So, here you are, sitting in traffic with a grumbling stomach. The pangs of regret only intensify as you flop into your creaky office chair and look over the meeting agenda.

Then, you hear one of your coworkers cheerily crow, “Look, everyone, I ‘ve brought doughnuts!” Normally, you’d opt for a healthier choice, but there’s no food in sight and you’re famished. So, when it’s either a doughnut or starvation, what’s the better choice?

Of course a nutritious, well-balanced meal is always the number one choice for breakfast, but if that’s not on the menu, should you just skip breakfast?

It’s true what they say. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It stops your body’s overnight crawl and jumpstarts your metabolism. Breakfast tells your body that you’re awake, well-fueled, and ready to start your day. Without breakfast, your body never gets a chance to properly fire on all cylinders.

While a doughnut isn’t ideal, it provides a quick pick-me-up which jumpstarts your metabolism. If you choose to eat nothing, you’ll feel sluggish, and distracted. That big meeting definitely won’t go as planned if you’re sleeping on the conference table. So, in this case, the doughnut is the lesser of two evils.

Since it’s breakfast, you have time to make up for it. This one bad choice doesn’t have to derail your diet! Make up for it. Go for a run during your smoke break; eat a salad for lunch.

So, wave down your coworker before you’re left licking up crumbs! Take that doughnut! Just make sure this doesn’t become a habit. While it’s easy to work off one pastry, it’s much harder to get rid of the impact from a baker’s dozen. In addition, foods made up of processed carbohydrates, like bagels and doughnuts, won’t keep you satisfied for long. Unlike whole grains, and other complex carbohydrates, your body quickly eats up any energy these junk foods provide.

If you find yourself facing this dilemma a lot, skipping breakfast might become a better alternative. After all, overindulgence on junk leads to blood sugar spikes and plenty of empty calories. If you don’t want to decide between hunger and empty calories, however, double check that the banana’s in your pocket