Should I eat breakfast?
The Food Chain
BBC
4.7 • 545 Ratings
🗓️ 3 September 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
High prices, busy lives and the rise of intermittent fasting mean more people are skipping breakfast. This week, Ruth Alexander speaks to three experts in nutrition about whether that matters. She finds out what it’s best to eat for your first meal of the day and when is best to have it. Experts Courtney Peterson, a researcher in intermittent fasting and associate professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in the United States.. Professor Alexandra Johnstone, a nutrition scientist based at The Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland snd Marianella Herrera, an associate professor in public health nutrition at Central University of Venezuela and visiting lecturer at Framingham State University in the US, share their insights. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk
Producer: Izzy Greenfield Image: A bowl full of cereal and a spoon (credit: Getty)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Oh, hello. You have chosen a BBC podcast, but before you listen to it, we thought you might like |
| 0:05.0 | our podcast too. You might. You might. It is called Sightracked with me, Nick Grimshaw. And me, |
| 0:09.7 | Annie Mack. And we talk about the week in music. All the news, all the cultural happenings in the |
| 0:15.2 | UK and beyond. And great guests. And it's on BBC Sounds. Yes, where you can also enjoy lots of playlists, music mixes and |
| 0:22.6 | live radio, everything from my six music breakfast show to Radio 3 Unwind. But obviously, |
| 0:28.9 | start with our podcast, sidetrack. Obviously. Obviously. So if you like music, listen on BBC |
| 0:33.7 | Sounds. |
| 0:41.1 | Okay. on BBC Sands. A bowl of whole wheat breakfast cereal |
| 0:44.0 | with added seeds |
| 0:45.5 | and milk. |
| 0:51.0 | And most importantly, for me, on the side a coffee this is how i often start the day it's quick easy |
| 1:03.6 | and transportable i sometimes have it at my desk out of a plastic container having let the |
| 1:09.0 | cereal go all soggy in the time it's taken to commute. |
| 1:12.4 | I'm not sure I'm giving breakfast the time and thought it deserves. |
| 1:16.5 | Many other people don't bother with it at all. |
| 1:19.3 | This is the food chain from the BBC World Service with me Ruth Alexander, |
| 1:23.5 | and we want to know is breakfast the most important meal of the day? If so, what should you eat and when? |
| 1:31.3 | To find out, I've been talking to three experts. Courtney Peterson, a researcher in intermittent fasting, |
| 1:37.9 | an associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States. |
| 1:42.7 | Professor Alexandra Johnstone, a nutrition scientist |
| 1:45.4 | based at the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and Marianella Herrera, |
| 1:50.8 | an associate professor in public health nutrition at Central University of Venezuela, and visiting |
... |
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