Are liquid breakfasts a happy compromise between nutrition and convenience?

“What is this life if, full of care,

  We have no time to stand and stare”

So goes a couplet in the poem “Leisure”, written by the renowned Welsh poet W.H. Davies. Our fast-paced, modern lifestyle has left us with no time to breathe – let alone stand and stare! In the rush to get to work and start one’s daily grind, the first casualty of the day is usually a hearty breakfast that can be eaten at ease. While we are all aware that breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, few of us actually have the time to get the required nutrition at this critical time. This can be a major problem as skipping breakfast can make a person hungry by mid-morning, potentially tempting them to opt for an unhealthy snack (a morning muffin for example). Studies have consistently proven that eating breakfast reduces a person’s chances of becoming overweight, and a nutritious breakfast goes a long way in reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Skipping breakfast has also been linked to reduced dietary fibre and calcium intake. Thus, some health conscious individuals have begun looking at liquid breakfasts as the happy compromise between nutrition and convenience. But are they really so?

In recent times, we seem to be bombarded with a never-ending stream of online, broadcast and print advertisements that promise to drink our way to a ‘slim figure’ or ‘detoxify our body in a jiffy’. These ads naturally sway ordinary consumers and they seem to be too good to be true. According to health experts, they probably are. However, they do have some positives and may even be useful in some cases or scenarios. Some of the types are –

1. Clear Liquid breakfast– A clear liquid breakfast comprises only clear, transparent fluids that supply all essential nutrients to the body while being easy on the digestive system. Some examples of a clear liquid diet include water, fruit juices without any pulp, energy drinks, tea or coffee sans milk or cream and popsicles without fruit bits.

2. Full liquid breakfast– A full liquid breakfast includes only those foods and liquids that melt at body temperature. This diet is more calorific than a clear liquid breakfast and is recommended for those people who cannot eat solid foods due to certain medical complications. A full liquid diet includes milk and milkshakes, tea, coffee, strained cream soup, butter and soft-boiled eggs.

3. Liquid protein breakfast – In a liquid protein diet, high protein drinks are meant to replace an ordinary breakfast. Protein is extremely hard to digest and the body needs to burn more calories to digest it. It is thus recommended for individuals who wish to lose weight.

4. Lactose free liquid breakfast – A lactose free liquid breakfast is simply one that does not specialise in any food including milk or cheese in it. This is perfect for those people who might suffer from lactose intolerance.

5. Low fibre liquid breakfast – It is a breakfast that requires avoiding foods that may contain a large amount of fibrous foodstuffs such as oatmeal, cooked cereals and particular fruits or vegetables. A low fibre liquid breakfast is ideal for those who suffer from digestive problems such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

There are certain negatives to a liquid only diet. Many liquid diets lack a recommended amount of dietary fibre and they may also contain excess sugar and a low satiety rating. The Dieticians Association of Australia recommends people eating different kinds of foodstuffs rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre as they both serve different roles in the body. While liquid diets contain some fibre, it can be a challenge if they are used to replace entire meals, as the majority of daily fibre intake will be from a single dietary source. Liquid diets may also be missing certain phytochemicals such as carotenoid or cholesterol-reducing β-glucan. These compounds are found much more easily in traditional breakfasts than liquid diets. Even vital micronutrients such as iron – something that women are typically deficient in – may be missing in liquid breakfasts.

Thus, liquid diets are not advisable to replace an individual’s meals entirely as they could potentially lead to serious health deficiencies. The health risks concerned with reduced satiety are also very real. If one wishes to have a liquid breakfast, it is recommended to combine it with some solid foods that may fill any lacking nutritional gaps and also be filling to alleviate all the issues mentioned above.

Read more on the On-the-go Breakfast Products market in a newly published report by requesting a free sample.