When Is the Best Time to Eat Breakfast?

Breakfast is a surprisingly controversial meal. Many swear it’s a crucial part of setting yourself up for a successful day, but some decide to skip it. While nearly 85 percent of Americans over 20 years old eat breakfast, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone approaches the first meal of the day differently, including the timing of it.

Many people, myself included, try to squeeze in breakfast when they can, but are guilty of skipping it more often than they’d like to admit. So, when is the best time to eat breakfast, and does it matter if you have a heavy or light meal?

I interviewed five nutrition experts and learned that there are a few lifestyle factors to consider when trying to figure out your optimal breakfast time. Here’s what they had to say.

Is There a “Best” Time to Eat Breakfast?

The best time to eat breakfast is a bit tricky to nail down. However, there is a general time window to consider.

“Most of the studies say to eat breakfast before 10 a.m.,” says Gabrielle Gambino, a senior clinical dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.

A 2023 study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology analyzed data on meal timing and how often more than 103,000 adults ate during the day. The researchers concluded that 9 a.m. was the best time to eat because eating earlier in the morning was linked with a 60 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Another 2023 study cites an earlier ideal breakfast time. That study, published in the journal Nature Communications, analyzed data from nearly 103,500 adults and determined that people who ate breakfast before 8 a.m. (and stopped eating for the day before 9 p.m.) had the lowest risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Why Eating Earlier in the Morning Is Ideal

There are a few different reasons why eating earlier in the morning is your best bet. One is that eating by this time helps to fill up your body’s storage of glycogen, a stored form of glucose that serves as the body’s main source of energy reserves, Gambino says. “When you’re sleeping, you’re in a fasting state, and your body is using your energy stores,” she explains. “When you wake up in the morning, your levels of glycogen are pretty low.”

Gambino says that eating on the earlier side also supports your circadian rhythm, your sleep-wake cycle that influences your physical, mental, and behavioral functions. “A lot of times, your circadian rhythm is set to restart in the morning,” Gambino says. “By giving your body fuel to be timed with that rhythm, it can help reset your hormones and energy levels through the rest of the day.” That can help support good energy levels throughout your day, she says.

How to Figure Out the Best Time to Eat Breakfast, Based on Your Lifestyle

Not everyone is up early, and it can be tricky to eat at, say, 9 a.m. if you’re not a morning person. Luckily, nutritionists generally recommend eating breakfast within an hour or two of waking up.

“This can promote sustained energy and improve performance, especially if you’re planning a workout or outdoor activity,” says Albert Abayev, a registered dietician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California. Meaning, if you typically get up at 6 a.m., it’s best to have breakfast at or before 8 a.m. to provide you with enough energy for the day.

Factor in the Time You Ate Dinner the Night Before

Emily Gelsomin, a senior clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital, suggests considering what time you stopped eating the night before, too.

“I usually recommend trying to maintain at least a 12-hour fasting window,” she says. “Meaning, if you finish eating by 8 p.m., eating again around 8 a.m. would be reasonable.” This can help manage blood sugar levels for consistent energy early in the day, she says.

If You Like Morning Workouts, Plan to Eat Breakfast Earlier

If you like to exercise first thing in the morning, Abayev says it’s a good idea to eat something before your workout. “Eating soon after waking can fuel your energy,” he says.

That doesn’t need to be a huge meal, though: Gambino says you should be fine with a lighter meal of oatmeal and peanut butter or a nut and granola snack mix to get you going before your workout. “Try to have some sort of protein with a complex carbohydrate (such as a slice of whole wheat toast with avocado) to fuel your workout,” she says. “Pre-workout meals can really help your recovery and muscle-building.”

But if you’re not planning to work out until later in the day, Abayev says there’s no need to fuel up right away. Also, if you’re just not hungry when you get up, Gambino suggests having tea or water to jump-start your system. “Having something in your body can help you get started, but you don’t need to force yourself to eat,” she says.

Should You Eat a Heavy or Light Breakfast?

“A lighter breakfast can work well for those who prefer early training or outdoor activities, promoting easy digestion,” Abayev says. “A heavier breakfast might be better if you have a long outdoor adventure or high-intensity training ahead, providing more sustained energy,” says Abayev.

According to Gambino, it can also be helpful to consider what the rest of your day looks like. “If you won’t be able to eat again until later in the day—say, having lunch around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.—having a heavier breakfast can help you stay satiated and not have a blood sugar drop,” she says.

Blood sugar drops can cause you to feel irritable, hungry, or tired. She suggests a vegetable omelet with a slice of whole-grain toast to “give you a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fat to keep your body working properly until your next meal of the day.”

But if you tend to eat lunch early, keep breakfast on the lighter side: Gambino says having an apple with peanut butter, whole grain cereal with fruit, or unsweetened yogurt with granola are good options.

If you’re deciding whether or not you want a heavy or light meal, consider this. A 2023 study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society suggests that having more calories earlier in the day can help limit blood sugar fluctuations—lowering your risk of eventually developing type 2 diabetes in the process. The researchers also found this can improve your overall metabolic health.

Is It “Bad” to Eat as Soon as You Get Up?

No, it’s not bad to eat as soon as you get up. “Your body was essentially fasting while you were sleeping, so your glycogen stores are low,” Gambino says.

(Again, glycogen helps with your body’s energy reserves.) If you’re planning to work out soon after you wake, eating something after you get up “can promote stable energy levels,” Abayev says.

However, you don’t have to eat as soon as you get up. “If you’re not hungry, don’t force it,” Gambino says.

Is It OK to Skip Breakfast?

While dietitians generally agree that you shouldn’t push yourself to eat if you’re not hungry, they also stress the importance of having something for breakfast. “For the most part, for non-breakfast eaters, I usually advise trying to eat something, even if it’s small, within a few hours of waking,” Gelsomin says.

Abayev agrees. “Eating breakfast can promote energy and improve performance, especially for morning workouts or outdoor adventures,” he says. “Skipping it may lead to fatigue, decreased performance later, and may potentially increase cravings later in the day.”

Not only can skipping breakfast leave you feeling fatigued but it’s also been linked to a higher risk of developing several serious health conditions. One 2024 study published in the Journal of Neurorestoratology analyzed data on eating habits from 859 people in China over a three-year period, along with other health data like blood work and MRIs. The researchers discovered that people who regularly skipped breakfast had lower cognitive scores than those who ate the first meal of the day. They also were more likely to experience cognitive decline during the study period.

A 2021 scientific review of 14 studies found a link between regularly eating breakfast and a lowered risk of developing a host of potential health complications, including heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and stroke. The researchers also found that skipping breakfast once a week “may greatly reduce the benefits” that people otherwise get from eating breakfast regularly.

“Overall, it is pretty beneficial to have breakfast in the morning,” Gambino says. “But, if you struggle with that, even a little something is good.”

What Is the Best Thing to Eat for Breakfast?

Aside from deciding when to eat breakfast, what you eat matters, too. “Focus on a balance of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates,” Abayev says. “Protein aids muscle repair, healthy fats support long-lasting energy, and carbs fuel performance, making this balance key for sustained energy during outdoor activities and workouts.”

There are a lot of good potential breakfast options to have, but the experts I spoke with say these are excellent choices:

• Oatmeal mixed with nut butter, and a side of berries
• An egg omelette with a side of sauteed vegetables and whole-grain toast
• Unsweetened Greek yogurt with a handful of nuts and berries

I exercise as soon as I get up to try to get a workout in before my kids wake up. With that, I usually have a zucchini and almond flour muffin before my workout and follow it up with natural peanut butter and apple slices after I’ve showered and get started with work. Because I tend to eat lunch early, this usually keeps me feeling satisfied until my next meal.

If you’re interested in fiddling with the exact timing of your breakfast, Gambino suggests using a journal or app to help you keep tabs on how you feel when you mix things up. That can help you to really fine-tune the best breakfast timing for you.

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