Is it best to eat like a king in the morning? Unexpected answers from experts

Breakfast has a very important role for the body, this has been concluded for a long time, that’s why in folklore there is still a saying: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a king. die and dine like a beggar.”

Analyzing the meaning of the above sentence, TS.BS Tu Ngu – Vice President, General Secretary of the Vietnam Nutrition Association said that the above sentence did not appear naturally, its meaning in terms of nutrition is want to appreciate the value and necessity of breakfast.

Breakfast is mainly based on the needs of each person, not eating a lot, so full as in the old days. (Illustration)

According to Dr. Tu Ngu, now families have dinner around 6pm-20pm, then rest and sleep until 7am – 8am the next morning to have breakfast, so the time interval will be 12 hours. Therefore, breakfast should be eaten a lot to make up for lost energy and recharge for a new working day. That is the meaning of the simile “Breakfast like a king”.

In the past, during difficult times, this saying was very true, because people were poor at that time, breakfast was the main meal, even eating only one breakfast to get strength to go to work and fasting all day, coming back to eat at night. take a nap (eat like a beggar) and go to bed.

At the present time, Dr. Tu Ngu thinks that the above statement is only true to affirm the important role of breakfast, because the reality of what to eat for breakfast, how to eat it… will depend on each individual situation. , but not everyone needs to have a full breakfast.

Breakfast should not be skipped, but how to eat should be suitable for conditions and needs. (Illustration)

“For workers, who need a lot of energy in the morning, they can eat a pack of sticky rice with eggs, rolls… Office workers sometimes just need a bread or a bowl of vermicelli. And those who want to lose weight even just need a small bowl of cereal, or a hard-boiled egg, some fruit… Many people still eat breakfast but consider it as breakfast, not too important.

For me, breakfast is also very simple, some days I eat a lot, some days I eat less, depending on my needs. For example, the day before I had a little drink the night before, the next morning I ate more. Normally, just wrapping sticky rice, bowl of vermicelli is done. But I never skip breakfast,” said Dr. Tu Tu.

TS.BS Nguyen Trong Hung – Deputy Department of Dietetic Nutrition (Central Hospital of Endocrinology) said that the issue of eating during the day should be divided so that the amount of calories loaded into the body is reasonable and eaten according to the needs of each person. People. However, the unchanging principle whether breakfast, lunch or dinner is to have a variety of foods, full of 4 groups of substances (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals).

The basic rule when eating breakfast is to have enough food groups and variety of foods. (Illustration)

“An average adult needs 1,600kcal/day, so we need to divide it appropriately and focus on 3 main meals. Basically, the balanced energy intake according to the meals will be: Breakfast: 500kcal; lunch: 500kcal: Dinner: 500kcal, the remaining calories are from other sources such as snacks, snacks…

However, if anyone needs to eat a lot in the morning can add up to 600kcal, lunch also eat up to 600kcal to get energy to work in the afternoon, then the evening needs to be reduced. Because if you keep adding more calories, but the body does not expend all of it, it will accumulate and lead to overweight and obesity, “doctor Hung advises.

In summary, Dr. Hung believes that eating is up to each person, but absolutely do not eat too much at one meal and should not skip meals. Each meal has its own role, not breakfast is important, the rest can be neglected.