Why Skipping Breakfast Risks Your Wellbeing

I once had a patient who came to me with chronic acidity, migraines, and mood swings. He was a software engineer, living in a PG, working night shifts, surviving on coffee, and proudly skipping breakfast for three years because, as he said, “I’m doing intermittent fasting, doctor.” I asked him if he felt good. He blinked. “Actually… I’m always tired. And irritable.” That was not fasting. That was punishment with a side of Google degree.

You see, breakfast isn’t just a meal. It’s a morning hug for your body. Skipping it is like ignoring your best friend who shows up at your door with a gift and a warm smile. You may shut the door and rush out, but the day feels off.

In my 25 years of practice in Bangalore, I’ve heard every excuse in the book.  
“I don’t have time.”  
“I don’t feel hungry.”  
“My wife’s upma is boring.”  
“I woke up late.”  
“I just had chai.”  
“I’ll eat a heavy brunch.”  
“I’m on a fruit-only diet.”  
“My cook quit.”  
“My gas cylinder is over.”  
“My friend told me breakfast is a Western concept.”

One patient said she had emotional trauma from her school days when her mother forced her to eat karela for breakfast. Now she associates breakfast with bitterness, both in a culinary and psychological sense.

But jokes aside, the real tragedy is how common this habit has become. In cities like Bangalore, with traffic that moves slower than your grandmother’s knitting needle, mornings are war zones. People wake up, check their phones, scroll endlessly, then rush through showers like they’re auditioning for a shampoo ad, only to skip the most important ritual of the day—nourishment.

And the consequences? Oh, they show up quietly.  
First, it’s fatigue. Then comes irritability.  
Next, the mysterious acidity.  
Then headaches, brain fog, sugar cravings at 11 AM, and by evening, the glorious bingeing on pani puri, samosas, and cookies.  
This is not hunger management. This is nutritional chaos in high definition.

 A study in the Circulation journal found that people who skip breakfast are significantly more likely to develop heart disease. Another study, published in Appetite, showed poorer memory and cognitive performance among individuals who skip breakfast. And let me tell you—I’ve seen this in real life. My patients who don’t eat in the morning often report confusion, irritability, and an inability to focus. I once had a school teacher faint during the morning assembly. Why? She hadn’t eaten in 16 hours and had three cups of chai on an empty stomach. That’s not breakfast, that’s a slow poison.

Many patients come to me trying to lose weight and say, “Doctor, I skip breakfast so I eat less.” But ironically, they gain weight. Why? Because by 1 PM, they are ravenous wolves, devouring rice, sweets, chips, and guilt in equal measure. Skipping breakfast is like ignoring your petrol light. You may go a few miles, but you’ll eventually sputter, stall, and curse your luck.

What should you eat?

Let’s not overcomplicate this. We’re Indians. We are blessed with a legacy of breakfast brilliance.  
Idlis. Poha. Parathas. Upma. Dosa. Even a bowl of curd rice with a pickle counts.  
Add some protein—a boiled egg, some sprouts, a bit of paneer, or dal. Add fibre—a fruit or two. And for the love of health, drink a glass of water before your chai. Chai is a cultural treasure, yes, but on an empty stomach, it’s a gut bomb.

And you don’t need a Michelin-star kitchen or a chef with a French name. I’ve seen working women in Bangalore prepare a healthy breakfast in 20 minutes flat. One of my patients, a single father, packs poha and sliced papaya for his two kids and himself every morning. “Doctor, I set two alarms,” he told me. “One to wake up, one to remind me that breakfast is sacred.” I wanted to hug that man.

Some young folks have taken to fruit-only breakfasts, thinking it’s ‘light and detoxifying.’ Now, there’s nothing wrong with fruits, but eating just a banana and calling it breakfast is like watching the trailer and skipping the movie. Where’s the protein? Where’s the fibre that keeps you full?

Then there are the brunchers. “I eat at 11:30, doctor.” That’s not breakfast. That’s procrastination on a plate. Your body needs fuel within 2 hours of waking up. Otherwise, cortisol—the stress hormone—goes up, blood sugar goes down, and your mood swings start dancing like it’s Navratri inside your brain.

You know who else skips breakfast? Teenagers who stay up all night scrolling, gaming, and sleeping at 3 AM. They wake up groggy at noon and call it ‘natural sleep cycle.’ I gently remind them that nature doesn’t reward night owls with good digestion or a bright complexion.

 A retired gentleman told me he stopped eating breakfast because his wife’s cooking was “too experimental.” He was tired of turmeric oats, chia pongal, and quinoa dosa. “Doctor, I’m a simple man. Give me aloo paratha with dahi.” His breakfast boycott was a protest. They compromised. She gives him paratha once a week. He promised not to skip breakfast and, in turn, agreed to try her beetroot idlis without protest.

Sometimes, it’s not health or diet that drives our habits—it’s emotion, relationships, and routine. And breakfast is often the first thing we sacrifice in our war against the clock.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a quiet pattern: my elderly patients who enjoy good health into their 70s and 80s almost always have one thing in common—they never skip breakfast. Whether it’s a small bowl of porridge, a banana with soaked almonds, chapati or just idlis with chutney, they begin their day with nourishment. Research indicates that regular breakfast consumption is associated with lower mortality rates. Skipping breakfast, on the other hand, has been associated with increased risk of early death, especially from cardiovascular causes. It seems the road to longevity may begin with what’s on your plate at 8 a.m.

-I often advise this: Wake up just 15 minutes earlier. That’s it. You don’t need an hour. Keep breakfast simple, not Instagrammable. Even a banana, some peanuts, and a boiled egg are better than nothing.

A young woman once told me, “Doctor, your advice saved my career.” She was an HR manager who would often skip breakfast and frequently experience meltdowns before lunch. After she started eating a morning meal, she said her energy and mood improved dramatically. “Now I don’t hate people before 10 AM,” she laughed. Her team noticed, too.

And me? I never skip breakfast. Even on my busiest days. My morning plate is humble—idlis, dosa, coconut chutney, a fruit, and perked coffee. It anchors me. It’s a quiet ritual in a noisy world. And when I don’t get it, I feel off—like wearing mismatched socks or forgetting my phone.

We Indians need to reclaim breakfast. Not as a luxury, but a non-negotiable. A cultural, culinary, and biological necessity. Because if you want to win the day, start by feeding your body and mind.

 We don’t run our bikes on empty tanks. We don’t send our kids to school without books. So why send yourself into the world without food?

Tomorrow morning, when your alarm rings, resist the urge to snooze your way to hunger. Get up. Eat something. Feed your brain, your belly, and your future.

Fuel your mornings, or forfeit your future health.