Active adults who are knowledgeable about nutrition consider breakfast to be one of the most important meals of the day. It ranks right up there with their post-workout whey proteinshake. Still, about 18% of Americans older than age 2 regularly skip the traditional first meal. Participants in a panel discussion at the Institute of Food Technologists 2012 Annual Meeting & Food Expo found a lot of fault in that decision.

They point to research suggesting people who regularly eat breakfast get about 17% of their daily nutrients at that meal. Those nutrients include about half of the vitamin A, B12 and D typically consumed during a 24 hour period. Not only do breakfast skippers miss out on those important vitamins, they’re likely to consume 40% more sweets and 45% fewer vegetables than regular breakfast eaters.

True Strength Moment: Protein also weighed in on the panelist’s conclusions. When teenagers who regularly skipped breakfast sat down to the meal, they tended to overeat less during the rest of the day. The best satiety results were realized when a high-protein breakfast was served. Subjects who ate a high-protein breakfast consumed about 200 fewer calories snacking in the evening.