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What the brain prefers us to eat for breakfast, and when, is not always good for the rest of the body.

The typical American breakfast is notoriously unhealthy, but critical for health.

Frequent breakfast skipping was associated with lower happiness, loneliness, and poor sleep.

The mantra "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" could help.

The majority of students in my 8:00 AM class admit to skipping breakfast almost every day. They’re not alone. In numerous online forums, athletes, especially bodybuilders, claim that skipping breakfast will not harm the body or interfere with building muscle mass. One of the most puzzling explanations I’ve heard is that our hunter-gatherer ancestors did not eat breakfast because hunting for breakfast was a necessity as soon as they woke up. In truth, we do not know what our ancient ancestors ate for breakfast, but I would not be surprised if they tossed down some raw roots, nuts, and seeds collected the day before (almost certainly by their women), before heading to the savannah to hunt. Today, the evidence is overwhelming that the popular myths about skipping breakfast are incorrect.

Admittedly, the typical American breakfast is notoriously unhealthy. As a result, some proponents of the “skip breakfast” philosophy defend their position by arguing that avoiding breakfast is a wise decision—it does not involve eating nutritious foods. It’s true. For most Americans, breakfast is a blend of processed flour, fat, salt, and sugar. If you miss breakfast at home, drive-through donut stores are strategically positioned along the high-traffic routes to work because the........

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