Dear LPG,

I am one of those people who get to bed quite early and regularly skip breakfast.  Even though I have been retired for a few years now, the ex night-worker in me dictates that I wake up, and get up, at about 4 o’clock in the morning, without the aid of an alarm, and the last thing that I want to do at that time is start preparing the first of my three meal courses of the day.  I prefer to talk to one of my similarly-cursed insomniac friends or just watch a DVD.   

We are always told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but as we get older everything has a habit of slowing down and I am aware of the fact that I am getting a bit lazy in my older age.  Our appetites and metabolism are no exception and the first is vital fuel for the other, so it is essential to remind your body of the importance of that first meal of the day. 

Even though, these days, I am not preparing to do any really physically demanding or mind-focussing tasks, eating something within an hour of getting up is recommended and can set you up for the day.  Apparently the brain takes about a quarter of all the nutrition that food gives us and if there is not enough it will have the effect of working less efficiently or taking the nutrients it needs from wherever else, in the body, it can. 

It is also said that a breakfast should be the largest meal of the day with lunch and dinner being smaller, and that together with a habit of eating the last meal of the day at least three hours before retiring are good habits to adopt.  The evening meal rule is supposed to ensure that the digestive process has time to happen before your body sleeps.

So I am planning to break my fast earlier in the mornings in future, to see if my brain works any better, even if that means taking a couple of fruits upstairs with me at night in preparation.  I will let you know how I get on. 

OY, Blythe Hill

LPG has found some interesting information on this subject.  A lot of it is aimed at younger people but the facts are there.