Download Teacher's Notes Download Student's Worksheet There is an old English proverb that says, “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a lord and dine like a pauper”. This proverb says that it is best for us to eat more at the beginning of the day and to eat less as the day goes on.  According to this wisdom, the most important meal of the day is breakfast.

Interestingly, scientists are now agreeing with the old English proverb. During recent experiments on mice, researchers found that the kind of food mice ate in the mornings affected their metabolism for the rest of the day. The scientists discovered that if the mice started off with a high-fat meal, their bodies burned up more calories through the day. When the mice ate a high fat meal at the end of the day, they stored the fat and put on weight.

Although the scientists are quick to point out that these findings are at an early stage, the results are being taken seriously. This recent study looks at the question of whether the timing of what you eat has a direct influence on your body weight.

Nutritionists, however, are quick to quash any idea that a high-fat breakfast is an ideal way to start the day. They strongly advise against eating a traditional English breakfast of fried eggs and bacon with slices of buttered toast. Instead, health experts advise that it is most important that people do not skip any meal, especially breakfast. And most agree that high-fibre cereals, together with portions of protein, are a great way to start the day.

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Glossary

Proverb (n)
a short, well-known piece of advice.

Quash (v)
to stop something continuing.