Eating a king-sized breakfast meal? This may make you rethink

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper!” Haven’t all of us heard this over and over again through the years? But is a heavy breakfast ideal? What are the right things to eat early in the day? Come, let’s find out.

Breakfast is typically called that because you literally ‘break fast’ with it after sleeping for 8-12 hours. According to Ayurveda and gut health coach Dimple Jangda, there are three major breakfast mistakes people make, and must avoid.

3 breakfast mistakes you may be making, as per Ayurveda

1. Big breakfast

Contrary to the most common advice we’ve heard, Jangda urges you to stop having a big breakfast as “it’s a mistake to load your system with a heavy breakfast after a 8-12 hours of fasting”.

She explains that one’s internal metabolic fire directly corresponds to the position of the sun. And it’s important to know that in the morning, when the sun rises, so does our agni, which means digestive fire or appetite as per Ayurveda. That is the time it may not be functioning to its optimum capacity.

“In order to prepare our gut to be able to digest the meals throughout the day, having a light and warm breakfast is best,” Jangda adds.

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Are you wondering when then is the best time to have the biggest meal of the day? Well, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., is an ideal time slot as the sun is at the peak in the sky and our digestion capacity is optimum.

2. Cold breakfast

It’s all a matter of the agni. As Jangda explains, having a cold breakfast is more like “pouring water on a burning fire”. Just as it may happen with a real fire, it can blow it off rather than help it flare up.

Ayurveda suggests that a warm and light breakfast can do wonders. You may nosh on cooked porridge, or have stewed fruits such as apple or pears. Even chillas or boiled legumes like moong and chickpeas (for those who can burn it well!) are good to go!

Your breakfast should be like a prep for the big lunch, she says.

3. Fruits, milk and cereals

This is a combination we love, but it’s a no-no as per Jangda. According to her, all these elements react with each other. They can lead to poor digestion, bloating, gas, irritable bowel syndrome and more. So yes, mixing fruits and milk is a bad idea!

What science says about a heavy breakfast

Consuming a big breakfast compared to a large dinner may prevent obesity and high blood sugar, according to a 2020 study in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

What must be kept in mind, however, is to consume the right breakfast foods. Even a low-calorie breakfast can end up increasing appetite, specifically for sweets, indicates the study.

A lot of people attempt to lose body weight by reducing their calorie consumption by skipping breakfast altogether. Nutrition experts have, however, time and again reminded people that doing so is never a good idea. While it may reduce your calorie count for that time of the day, it is likely to make you go all out during your other meals.