We need food for energy, right? Wrong.

If you studied biology at school, and even if you didn’t, you are likely familiar with the idea that bodily energy is created when molecules derived from food – such as glucose and fat – are ‘burned’ using oxygen. Because of this, many of us have been convinced that if we want energy, then we need to feed our internal fire with fuel (food) on a regular basis. In fact, some people advocate five or six relatively small meals and snacks throughout the day to, supposedly, maintain a roaring metabolism and sustained levels of energy.

But if this is true, how do we explain the fact that many people are able to go for extended periods of time without food, but without any noticeable drops in energy and performance? In fact, over the years, I have coached literally hundreds of people who actually feel more energised when they don’t eat than when they do. Perhaps the most frequent manifestation of this is when someone finds they feel better and get more done through the morning when they skip breakfast than if they have it. What is going on?

Well, in short, the body has reserves of energy that it can draw on in the absence of recently circulating nutrients from food. One of those fuel reserves is fat. Why do we store fat at all? Well, it’s not to annoy us. We are adapted to store fat so that we can mobilise and metabolise it for energy when food is ‘in short supply’. When someone is utilising this mechanism throughout the morning, they are simply relying on a mechanism that is part of what might be termed the ‘natural order’.

Skipping breakfast basically means someone will eat within a relatively narrow window each day, usually around eight hours, so that 16 hours of the day are in a fasted state. ’16:8’ is a form of ‘time-restricted eating’, which itself is one way to practice what is termed ‘intermittent fasting’. While skipping breakfast is a nutritional no-no from a received wisdom perspective, I’ve found it is hugely beneficial for many people in terms of their energy, performance, and health markers.

There is some evidence for this. One review amassed evidence from several studies in which individuals were switched to an intermittent fasting regimen. Compared to those who ate normally, those who fasted intermittently saw, on average, improvements in several parameters, including body weight, blood sugar control, blood pressure and blood fat levels [1].

Intermittent fasting has been shown to provide other benefits, including lower levels of inflammation in the body. Inflammation appears to be a key driver of lots of things most people would prefer to avoid, including brain fog, low mood and chronic (long-term) disease.

Often, I hear it said that fat is not an efficient source of energy for the body, as it ‘burns too slowly’. This, quite frankly, is nonsense. In a relatively ‘starved’ state, the body has the capacity to convert fat into what are known as ‘ketones’, which are a very ready fuel for the body and, particularly, the brain. Did we imagine that the body wouldn’t have evolved a way to maintain high levels of physical and mental performance should food be in short supply?

Another thing to consider, should we skip breakfast, is what we’re missing out on. A lot of standard breakfast fare (cereal, bread, pastries) is essentially nutrient-poor carbohydrate that releases sugar relatively quickly into the bloodstream. An overabundance of sugar in the bloodstream will generally cause the body to secrete gluts of insulin – the chief hormone for reducing blood sugar levels – and this can easily drive blood sugar levels to sub-normal levels in the mid-late afternoon. This can provoke a slew of unwanted symptoms, including fatigue, fuzzy focus and hunger, typically with a preference for something sweet (caffeine and cake, anyone?).

No wonder many people feel better without ‘the most important meal of the day’.

I don’t advise skipping breakfast for everyone. Those who struggle to maintain their weight or have any ongoing or past history of eating disorder are not good candidates, in my opinion. Also, some people have a constitution that requires them to eat regularly, lest they get very hungry or even lightheaded. I’ve found the ‘archetype’ for whom this tends to be true is a relatively tall, slim woman, whose blood pressure may be on the low side, too.

However, overall, I have found that one in two people does much better without breakfast. Typically, these are people who have never really eaten breakfast. Or someone who eats breakfast because they believe they should. Some people are really not hungry at all, but believe it’s better to ‘have something’ (typically a banana or a pastry).

Other people may traditionally experience quite mild hunger in the morning, but can effectively train themselves to switch to their internal fuel stores for energy. One practical hopping-on point is to confine eating to, say, a 12-hour window initially. Then, breakfast can be gradually delayed over some days or a couple of weeks until no breakfast is had at all. This approach eases the body into something like 16:8, and it suits some people better than an abrupt switch.

You might be wondering if you can have coffee or tea during a fast. Both are fine as long as they are black and unsweetened. It is possible that a splash of milk will not raise blood sugar and insulin enough to break the fast. However, my personal approach is to forgo milk entirely when fasting on the basis that I enjoy knowing I am still in a fasted state more than I ‘enjoy’ the milk, if that makes sense.

REFERENCES:

1.  Yang F, et al Effect of Epidemic Intermittent Fasting on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Front Nutr. 2021;8:669325.