Salty breakfast or sweet breakfast: what are their real effects on the body?

Were you told all your childhood that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? That you had to feed your body to give it energy?

Experts are not unanimous as to the role of this morning meal in maintaining good health. “Breakfast is [avant tout] most important for people who are hungry when they wake up”, explains to the BBC Food Alexandra Johnstone, Professor of Appetite Research at the University of Aberdeen.

Nevertheless, specialists agree that the content of this meal has a real influence on our health and productivity.

And “l‘important is to build your breakfast in a balanced way in order to rehydrate the body and recharge the batteries after a long night of fasting”, specifies Vanessa Bedjaï-Haddad, dietician-nutritionist at Health Magazine.

But sweet or salty, it will not have the same effects on the body. So, how do they affect our body ?

“A myth persists that you have to eat sweets in the morning to get energy. But sugar in the morning provides pleasure, because it releases dopamine in the brain. But this is not the best way to bring energy to the body. Because sugar triggers a spike in glucose, and in response the body releases insulin. Insulin which stores excess glucose (energy) in compartments such as the liver, muscles, fat cells”, begins Jessie Inchauspé, author ofThe Glucose Goddess Method (Robert Laffont, 2023).

Thus, eating sugar in the morning means storing part of the energy rather than making it accessible and usable by the body. And so it’s ultimately not the best way to really feel good for the rest of the day.

“In the morning on an empty stomach, a meal rich in sugars causes a glycemic peak resulting in a sudden secretion of insulin and a sudden fatigue at 11 a.m., associated with cravings and sugar cravings”, adds Vanessa Bedjaï-Haddad. To Health Magazine.

In addition, the nocturnal fast must be broken gently: “When we wake up, our body is empty and sensitive, after a night’s sleep. Breakfast is the first thing we will give it. Therefore, the morning is the worst time to eat sweets because the body is still too sensitive“, adds the author. And the more sugar we consume in the morning, the more our body will be in demand for sugar during the day. ‘Cause blood sugar drops as fast as it goes up.

Salty breakfast: energy and satiety throughout the morning

For Jessie Inchauspé, “regardless of the time of the first meal, it is absolutely necessary to eat salt. Because salt, like proteins, allows the body to have access to energy and to avoid the peak of glucose, making our blood sugar stable,” she says.

Stable blood sugar that makes us feel better, saves us the morning energy slump and prevents daytime cravings.

A breakfast of savory foods helps the body and the brain to function at their best during the day. Indeed, “it is important to start your day with a balanced breakfast filled with fiber, protein and healthy fats. This boosts your metabolism and replenishes your blood sugar, thereby increasing your energy levels to stay focused and productive during the day”, advises Stéphanie Perruzza, dietitian nutritionnsite, to the media Bustle.

Nevertheless, beware of false friends: “there are salty and salty. If you eat cold cuts and cheese every morning, it is not necessarily a better option. What is needed is to choose the right foods to be satiated, without abusing the bad fats”, warned to Marie Claire Delphine Théard, program development manager at WW France, in an article on the benefits of a salty breakfast.

Is there a better breakfast than another for our health?

But there is no question of establishing an injunction to eat salty in the morning. The important thing is to learn how to compose your plate to benefit from what the body needs, while having fun.

So, if you are rather sweet, avoid accumulating sources of sugar in the morning. If you eat white bread, jam, orange juice and sweetened coffee, you will have an intake of sugars that is far too high. So why not start by turning to wholemeal bread, “which multiplies by three the intake of fibre, iron and magnesium compared to white bread”, specifies dietitian nutritionist Nicolas Aubineau at Health Magazine.

And if you want to switch from sweet to savory, it’s possible. For example, replace the jam with oilseeds (almonds, hazelnuts, mashed cashews), “good quality proteins and fats”, according to Marion Thelliez, naturopath. You can also replace industrial cereals with muesli, seeds or oatmeal.

Jessie Inchauspé proposes, despite everything, in The Glucose Goddess Method, “a revisited classic”: slices of savory jam. For this, you will need roasted, drained and chopped red peppers, feta cheese and toasted slices of sourdough or rye bread. Cook the peppers and the feta in the oven for 10 minutes at 180°C. Once cooked, take out the preparation, spread it, warm or cold, on your bread and enjoy.

On the salty side, again according to Jessie Inchauspé, certain rules must be respected for a quality breakfast. “There are simple principles to build the savory breakfast: you need protein (egg, fish, meat, powders, nuts, yogurt), fat, fiber (olive oil, half avocado, spinach) and preferably nothing sweet, unless it’s whole fruit (which contains fiber). You can also have starchy foods (but as an accompaniment to protein, not as a main course)”, she explains in her latest book.

Concretely, “you can eat wholemeal or cereal bread with eggs or ham, a portion of cheese and a piece of fruit. Do not forget to also include a drink – tea or coffee – to rehydrate the body. In favoring proteins and fatty foods at breakfast, you will respect the biological rhythms of the body (chronobiology) and balance your diet as well as possible”, details dietitian nutritionist Raphaël Gruman to the media. Our time.

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