Time and time again we're told breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
They say you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper - and new research proves just that.
Regardless of whether you're looking to lose weight or not, scientists have conducted a study that underpins the value of eating enough at breakfast time.
While a large majority of busy workers will pick up a banana to scoff on their commute, or skip breakfast entirely, the study has found that those who eat a big breakfast compared to a large dinner may burn twice as many calories throughout the day.
The research – published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism– looked into diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), which is the process our body goes through when digesting food and the energy it expends.
It's a measure of how well our metabolism is working, which is generally slower in the evening due to our body clocks.
The study’s author, Juliane Richter of University of Lübeck in Germany, said: "Our results show that a meal eaten for breakfast, regardless of the amount of calories it contains, creates twice as high diet-induced thermogenesis as the same meal consumed for dinner.
"This finding is significant for all people as it underlines the value of eating enough at breakfast."
In the first round of research, 16 men consumed a low-calorie breakfast and a high-calorie dinner, and then did the opposite in the next round to compare results.
The participants had 2.5 times higher DIT in the morning than in the evening, if they started the day with a high-calorie meal.
Results also showed that eating a low-calorie breakfast can increase your appetite for the rest of the day, meaning if you haven't started your day with plenty of nutrients, you won't feel satisfied. You're then likely to graze and snack throughout the day to combat cravings.
Ultimately, you could end up consuming more calories than if you'd just made the effort in the morning to have a hearty breaky.
Dr Richter, a neurobiologist at the Centre of Brain, Behaviour and Metabolism at the University of Lübeck, added: "Eating more at breakfast instead of dinner could prevent obesity and high blood sugar."
But as familiar sayings about breakfast ring true, this certainly isn't the first study on the importance of the first meal of the day.
A study from Tel Aviv University in 2013 echoed findings that eating a high-calorie breakfast can help protect you against diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.
It also showed how breakfast can impact weightloss, with obese women as the subject of the study.
Those who had a big breakfast lost an average of 17.8 pounds (8.1kg) compared to 7.3 pounds (3.3kg) for the group who had a big dinner.
And last year, a study by the Cambridge University Press found that breakfast can boost mental health, with those skipping breakfast having a higher prevalence of mood disorders.
But according to the Association of UK Dietitians (BDA), only two thirds of adults in the UK eat breakfast regularly.
This could be down to lifestyles in the UK largely revolving around being busier in the morning and spending time in the evening to relax, which involves cooking a big meal.
However, society does show signs of catching up with results from studies telling us how important our three meals a day are.
Many millennials would now rather swap social plans at dinner/tea for a large brunch at the weekend, and although not as healthy, bottomless brunch has taken Manchester restaurants and bars by storm.
It still counts, right?
