Intermittent fast vs. breakfast: is it still healthy to jump?

You know how your mother always said, "Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?" According to this new study of Journal of the American College of Cardiology, skipping breakfast could be bad for your ticker. The results showed that of the approximately 7,000 people he interviewed over a period of about 20 years, those who did not eat breakfast had an increased risk of cardiovascular death.

The first thing that came to mind when reading this story: what does it mean if you join an intermittent fasting diet? After all, many plans limit a person's dietary intake at certain times of the day or certain days of the week, depending on the diet, which can often mean skipping the morning meal.

If you look at the study with this question in mind, you will see a problem: it did not look at people on an intermittent fasting diet. "The study indicates for the general population following a typical American diet, that those who skipped breakfast were at an increased risk of dying from heart disease later in life." As this study did not look at any kind of intermittent fasting, it is difficult to make a comparison between the two groups, "says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, award-winning nutrition expert and author of Wall's successful cookbooks. Street Journal, The cookbook to prepare healthy meals.

Another thing: Although the study linked breakfast skipping with cardiovascular disease, it did not focus on quality According to the author of cookbooks, dietitian and certified sports coach, Dana Angelo White, MS, MS, ATC. (This means that people on a diet high in saturated fats or other factors that may increase their risk of cardiovascular disease could skew the results.)

"As a dietitian, I always recommend having a balanced breakfast at the beginning of the day." -Toby Amidor, MS, RD

Still, White warns that if the intermittent fasting men do not eat breakfast at all, it could be a red flag in general for their health. Amidor agrees. "Breakfast should be part of any healthy diet, and if you eat all day long, your body will have the ability to absorb the nutrients it needs." This is not always possible when intermittent fasting. For example, if someone was following the 5: 2 format (when a person eats what she wants for five days and only eats 25% of her caloric needs for the other two), there are two days a week where she would give up a well-balanced breakfast and, overall, not have enough nutrients these days, says Amidor.

"For IF on the TRF [time-restricted feeding, also known as 16:8] program, where you eat what you want eight hours a day, it means that they skip breakfast every day, "says Amidor. "While more research is needed to see the impact of FI program followers, it could indicate that skipping breakfast (or starting eight hours later in the day) could potentially have an impact. about cardiovascular health, "she says.

Here's the thing though: the experts say you do not to have skip breakfast during intermittent fasting. "Breakfast depends on the type of IS you do. For the 5: 2 format, all five days you can have breakfast. During the two days of fasting that consume about 500 calories, breakfast probably tends to be skipped because there are so few calories to eat anyway, "says Amidor. This method does not specify skipping breakfast, says White. It's just that people can choose not to prioritize that meal based on the number of calories you can have for the day.

Want to know more about IF? Discover our latest You against food episode all about the buzzy diet plan:

However, in the case of the TRF, skipping a breakfast or not depends on when you set the desired eight-hour meal period. "If you follow the popular 16: 8 method, you can start eating at any time, including breakfast time," says White. You would then stop eating earlier in the day (like at 4 pm if you eat breakfast at 8 am).

In summary: Whatever your diet, Amidor is very supportive of breakfast. "As a registered dietitian, I always recommend having a balanced breakfast early in the day, as it's an opportunity to provide your body with the nutrients you need at the beginning of the day and after several hours without fuel, "she says.

However, if you are interested in the SI and it works for you, you do not need to worry too much about the results of this study. "An SI diet could help some people stay on track and prevent overeating, a huge barrier to weight loss. But I urge dieters to be flexible, and IF can make your diet rigid and super disappointing, "White says. Here is a bright and early omelette!

Speaking of breakfast … can you have coffee during intermittent fasting? And what idea to have a pizza at breakfast?