Nutritionists never tire of telling us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And they're right. Numerous studies suggest people who eat breakfast weigh less than those who skip it, while others claim children who have a healthy breakfast do better at school than those who don't eat until lunch.
Stock.xchng, Jan Willem Geertsma
The latest on breakfast, however, is that it can have a really positive effect on your mood - as long as you choose the right type of breakfast, that is. Liverpool-based researchers claim eating cereal for breakfast makes people feel fuller, happier and more relaxed than eating a muffin.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involved 123 people who ate either a bowl of cereal or a muffin for seven days. On the days when they ate the cereal, they reported being in a better mood than when they ate the muffin.
And despite the fact that the cereal and the muffin contained exactly the same number of calories, when the volunteers ate the cereal they didn't just feel fuller, they also thought they'd eaten fewer calories. And that made them feel more positive about their weight and their bodies.
So while that muffin may taste nice (and easy to grab if you're rushing to catch the bus), this study suggests eating cereal is much better for you psychologically. And getting a psychological boost first thing in the morning can only be a good thing, right?
So tell us, what's your favourite breakfast?