(Mirror Daily, United States) – Even though we have been told that it’s the most important meal of the day, one nutritionist is convinced breakfast is not mandatory. Relying on a small study, James Betts is trying to convince people that they are not obligated to wake up earlier just to sleepily stuff food under their nose.

There was an old saying that advised people eat breakfast, lunch and dinner like a king, common and, respectively, popper. The ancient words of wisdom were based on the idea that people should never skip the most important meal of the day, the morning one.

But one nutritionist is convinced breakfast is not mandatory. In order to prove his theory that people were led to believe such things only because of the continuous cereal, bacon, and eggs propaganda, he conducted a scientific study.

Betts gathered a sample of volunteers that he randomly divided into two groups. The first group would eat a 700 calories breakfast while the second only drank water and other fluids until lunch.

According to the results that he published in the Clinical Nutrition American Journal, the participants who skipped the most important meal of the day had a tendency to eat a bit more during lunch. But they never made up for the 700 calories that they missed on in the morning.

Also, it seems that breakfast skippers were not in danger of gaining extra weight, even though the morning meal eaters somehow managed to burn more calories.

There are still some variables that the study did not take into consideration. For example, Betts did not mention if skipping breakfast affected cognitive awareness or mood. Furthermore, it did not look at the caffeine effects because participants who skipped breakfast probably drank a cup of coffee or tea in the morning.

While the study does draw valid conclusions, it only focuses on the weight gaining myth. But doctors are still advising people to eat something in the morning because breakfast doesn’t only ensure a steady weight.

Eating something in the morning helps you have a proper digestion. Also, when it comes to meals, routine is essential. When the intake is regular, then the outtake follows its example. This regularity helps people maintaining not only a healthy lifestyle but also keep the organic machine that is our body functioning at maximum capacity.

And even though one nutritionist is convinced breakfast is not mandatory, there are still plenty more doctors out there who would disagree with him.

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